The 2014
Great Backyard Bird Count has reached its halfway point. If you haven't had a chance to participate in the first two days of the count, hopefully you can count birds and submit a checklist on Sunday or Monday. Saturday was an interesting day in the field in northern Indiana, with many birds (Black-capped Chickadee, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, and Red-bellied Woodpecker, among others) singing their spring songs.
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| Horned Lark in rural LaPorte County, Indiana |
Some of my highlights from the first two days of the Great Backyard Bird Count include Fox Sparrow and Cooper's Hawk on our property; Canvasback, Redhead, Common Merganser, Common Goldeneye, and Bufflehead at University of Notre Dame; Common Merganser, Horned Grebe, and Horned Lark in rural LaPorte County; and Common Merganser, Hermit Thrush, Lesser Scaup, White-crowned Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, and an adult intermediate morph western Red-tailed Hawk at Kingsbury Fish and Wildlife Area in LaPorte County.
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| Common Goldeneye (male and female) at St. Joseph Lake at University of Notre Dame in St. Joseph County, Indiana |
To participate in the count, you don't necessarily need to travel; you can count birds in your yard or at a location of your choice. Good luck if you get a chance to join the last two days of the Great Backyard Bird Count.
