Sunday, December 16, 2012

Some birds from the London Christmas Bird Count

This is a short write-up, since I don't have our tally sheets or any official numbers. There was no snow, the ground was dry, and it was windy at times.  Rain held off until the end of the day (about 4 pm). The conditions were good for walking, but visibility was poor  due to a bright sky that back-lit the subjects.   The lack of snow meant that birds camouflaged well, and we could only (sometimes) see birds when they called or moved. Trains, chainsaw, tractors, airplanes, traffic and construction all seemed louder and more constant than in previous years, which also made it harder to hear birds.  Overall we found bird numbers to be low - with large stretches of what seemed to be good habitat  that were conspicuously quiet. Despite the somewhat unfavorable conditions, we found a good diversity including American Black Duck, Coopers Hawk, Wild Turkeys, and Kestrel.    Photos were mostly for identification purposes of birds too far away to see with binoculars, but give a flavor of the day.