This year's winter has left me with a definite urge to hibernate. Which means, of course, that my birding has been limited to looking out the back window towards my feeders (only the usual suspects so far, in case you were curious - no redpolls or siskins at my house). I've been out snowshoeing a couple of times since the days finally started getting longer again, and hiking once, but the creaking of the snow beneath my feet was so loud that I think I scared all of the birds away.
I did participate in the Christmas Bird Count this year, since the Kitchener count coincided with the one free weekend I had in amongst family visits and other festive events. I tagged along with one of the car crews and covered an area just northeast of the city. Car birding usually isn't my favourite (I prefer to get out and walk), but it was still a fun day, and we did still get out on a few small sections of trail. Heard great horned owls in the early AM. Lots of raptors along the roads, of course - harriers, rough-legged hawks, red-tailed hawks, and a single Cooper's hawk - and a solid showing of other species including brown creeper, golden-crowned kinglet, red-bellied woodpecker, and an entire flock of cardinals making adorable yet unusual sounds at each other.
Oh, and I also made a trip up to the Elora Research Station a couple weeks back to try and find the flock of snow buntings that keeps being spotted there, but I came up empty. Beginning to think I'm cursed to never see a bunting. Mostly because, as previously mentioned, I don't generally enjoy car birding that much, and the best (practically only) way to find buntings is to drive around country roads and watch the fields. I should probably give Elora another chance, though; I think someone is putting out corn for them, which should give me a fighting chance.
