Getting Started!

I started my Prince Edward County big year today, not yesterday, since we were out of town visiting family for the New Year's holiday. I made it to Sandy River Reservoir this morning a little after 7 a.m. The lake was foggy... but I could see a large, largely white duck through the mist. When the fog finally lifted enough that I could identify it, I was pleasantly surprised that my first duck of the year was a drake Canvasback, accompanied by three drake Redheads. I would not have predicted that – a great beginning to the year. Other nice surprises in the morning were a few dozen Rusty Blackbirds foraging in a field with robins, and a flock of more than a dozen Chipping Sparrows.

I had to be at my office during the middle of the day, but after leaving did enough birding to reach 53 species by the time the light faded. The last 2+ hours were spent trying to add a few species in the cold rain. Best bird of afternoon was a House Wren – my first House Wren record for Prince Edward in January.