Every time I go I seem to find a new county year bird and the area has helped me get some tardy ticks like an Orange-crowned Warbler in late October.
Today I had a full 3 hours to bird the area - with frequent interruptions from the dogs ;)
The day started out cold:
...but was quick to warm up.
The highlight of the morning, no doubt, were 2 Pine Grosbeaks that were calling back and forth and allowed a close study for a good ten minutes:
Here's a short clip of the Grosbeak - listen for the other one calling in the background:
The other day there were 2 Dunlin at Laurel Creek - probably the last shorebirds I'll see this year?
And a Merlin was at Columbia Lake this week as well - I've been seeing a bunch of Merlins lately:
