Pine Siskin
February 6th
On the road again
Goin’ places that I’ve never been
Seein’ things that I may never see again
And I can’t wait to get on the road again
Willie Nelson
After surviving the recent snowstorm and a mild case of cabin fever, I was ready for a road trip. There have been reports in the past week of a Harris’s Sparrow in Holmes County. Holmes County is south of Wooster and has a large Amish community. It is rural, quaint and includes towns like Millersburg, Berlin, Charm and Walnut Creek. I always love to see the well-kept farms and the residents getting around with their horse and buggy. It was a 2½ hour trip on lots of country roads and unfortunately we were unsuccessful in locating the sparrow.
As we were leaving the area, a small flock of Eastern Meadowlarks unexpectedly flew right in front of our car. Normally meadowlarks are not around in the winter, so this was a surprise. Apparently, meadowlarks will eat grain, seeds, and berries during the non-breeding season. In the summer they eat mostly insects including crickets, grasshoppers, caterpillars etc.
Next, we drove back to the lakeshore and finally found a couple of Pine Siskins at a cute little community called Beulah Beach which is a Christian camp and retreat near Vermilion. The Pine Siskin was one of our remaining winter target birds, so we were happy to finally find one. (2 new species, total 123)
Eastern Meadowlark
Pine Siskin
Eastern Meadowlark
Pine Siskin
By the end of the year you will know Ohio as well as your own neighborhood. That is a beautiful picture with the buggy in the snow.
ReplyDeleteAnn
Sounds like your having a great time The photos are so good and your text is so enlightening.
ReplyDelete