The First of Many

American Tree Sparrow

 Today kicked off my photographic big year. Conditions were not what one hopes for when taking pictures; dark gray clouds draped the sky and allowed little light to trickle through. However, I was still able to take a few pictures to get the ball rolling. I will be posting pictures to the flickr site, even bad pictures. Throughout the year, I'll replace those horrible pictures with better ones of the same species.

Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge was a bit slow today, although we found an "Oregon" flavored Dark-eyed Junco, a rare bird for Michigan.

We also had Tundra Swans and Snow Buntings fly over. We then worked along the Grand River by Moores Park in Lansing. A chilly-looking Great Blue Heron was only slightly unexpected. The Peregrine Falcon below was photographed at quite a distance.

On Thursday I'll venture to Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Rumor has it that a Northern Hawk Owl, Great Gray Owl, and a few Hoary Redpolls can be found around the Soo and the rest of Chippewa County. With a little luck, I just might be able to track a few down.