first birds of 2012!!!

My good friend from the U.S. Army was home over the holidays, and on New Years' Day he and I had to run some errands in DuBois. On the way home I decided to drive past the Tannery Dam and through Gameland Road. While passing the Tannery, I noticed a flock of European Starlings flying over, and an Accipiter land in a tree by the church. I quickly pulled in behind the church and circled around to try and get some looks at the raptor. After doing the best I could to get close, snap a few photos, and confirm a positive I.D. on the bird, I concluded that it was an immature Cooper's Hawk. It was hard to tell because the bird was between us and the sunset, so it was more of a silhouette, and the photos did not turn out as good as they could have if the sun was right.

Immature Cooper's Hawk

Immature Cooper's Hawk

Immature Cooper's Hawk

this was about the point when the bird had enough of my ugly blue truck and flew off

Also at the Tannery Dam were mallards and canada geese, both in good numbers.

Today on my way home from work, I again travelled past the Tannery Dam and over Gameland Road just to see if anything would flush from the roadside to add to my empty year list. While pulling out of work I noticed many American Crows flying overhead, as well as on Gameland Road. There was a single Mourning Dove perched on the electric wires by the church by the Tannery Dam. That's 6 for my year list, and Clearfield county list for 2012. I then detoured around Daniel's Road and flushed 4 Dark Eyed "Slate Colored" Juncos and a single White-breasted Nuthatch, adding 2 species to my Elk county list, with a total of 8 to my year list. Nothing to brag about, but I haven't had time to go birding yet and have two lists at least started.

White-breasted Nuthatch

Sunday I have off and plan on hiking Game Lands 44 in Brockway, hopefully adding a good number of species to my year list, which at the moment is more like a year post-it.....