Great Backyard Bird Count Day 1

Today was the first day of the GBBC!! It started with me getting outside at 6:30 in the morning, and birding for about an hour. In that hour I got 23 species, including 500 Common Grackle, 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler, 2 broad-winged hawks (why are they not in central America?!) and 10 Cedar Waxwings. Then I came in for oatmeal and orange juice. :) My favorite. Also, I think we may have nighthawks in our yard, because one of our mockingbirds was imitating one.

Then, after lunch, we all piled into our van and drove to the Lucius E. Burch Natural Area near Shelby Farms Park. The first species I spotted was two mallards swimming in a nearby pond. Then we ventured down the woodland trail that led along the Wolf River. Though my brothers were rather loud, (scratch that; really loud) I was able to count Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Belted Kingfisher, Northern Flicker, and a lot more. I spotted a little grayish bird that might have been a kinglet, but my brothers scared it away before I could get a good look at it. Oh well. Then we looked over the Ducks Unlimited Wildlife Viewing Area and counted about 15 Mallards, 20 Canada Geese, 6 Gadwall, 12 Killdeer, and 1 Song Sparrow. I wasn't able to get a lot of photos, but here are some of them:

Northern Mockingbird. Taken in our yard.

Eastern Bluebird. Taken in our yard.

Downy Woodpecker. Taken in our yard. What you looking at?

Canada Geese. Taken at the Ducks Unlimited Wildlife Viewing Area.

Red-bellied Woodpecker. Taken at the Lucius E. Burch Natural Area.

And here are some other photos taken along the way:

Today's sunrise in north Mississippi.

Cool clouds over our yard.

A snake (what kind??) on the banks of the Wolf River.

The Wolf River. It isn't very big; it's more like a large creek than a river.

Okay, one more thing. I really want to know why our Broad-winged Hawk pair hasn't migrated south. They've been here all winter. Is it because the winter's been so mild? What do my readers think?

Hope your GBBC going as great as mine!! Good Birding, everybody!!