Ludlow Goes Big (again)

Yes, our virtual birding companion, Ludlow G., is at it again.  Realizing that if one year can be big, three can be bigger (and more meaningful), Ludlow will be compiling collaborative "big years" with birders in Concord during 2014 and 2015.

Gulp.

Some early comparisons between January 2013 and 2014 suggest why long-term surveys are so useful.

Winter of 2013 began mild and then snow began to pile up in February, while 2014 began very cold, with virtually no open water and some snow pack.  In January 2013, with a lot of open water, an irruption year for finches, and some lingering passerines, we had:

The amazing, continuing Rufous hummingbird, which lasted through Jan. 8
Wood duck, green-winged teal, bufflehead, mute swan
Common Yellowthroat, palm, pine, chipping sparrow, savannah, winter wren
Pine siskin, white-winged crossbill, pine grosbeak

Common Mergansers in the Assabet River, West Concord

This January we have missed all but the real cold water ducks, haven't had a winter wren yet or a barred owl, no red-breasted nuthatches, and only one reported redpoll. But birds we did not have last January are equally interesting:

Snowy and Short-eared owl (Hanscom, this year's bonus birds in early January)
Turkey vulture
Fox sparrow
Hermit thrush (numerous sightings)
Lapland longspur
Great Cormorant (amazing fly-over sighting at Hanscom)
Merlin (an active bird around Kaveski; we did finally see a Merlin in Feb. 2013)

Nevertheless, even though reporting is down a bit from a year ago, the current totals are similar (2014/2013): 73/75 by February.

Go Ludlow!

Let the Games Begin!

Rumor has it this was the demo video for a proposed sport at Sochi.  Putin rejected it, claiming "we have no crows in Sochi, and this is not funny."

For those counting, it's a hooded crow filmed somewhere in Russia.