Bad Photos, Good Birds

We found this guy first. Not the FOY, but I never tire of seeing them

So...for the past two years we have wasted invested hundreds of hours looking for a Greater White-fronted Goose or a Short-eared Owl. We have driven to the far side of Fort Plain and ventured out into the wilds and sat for hours on a roadside looking for the latter.

I have taken and carefully pored over thousands upon thousands photos of Canada Geese, searching, ever searching for that elusive GWFG. (Or a Cackling Goose, but that is another story.)

To no avail.

Greater White-fronted Goose

Then on Saturday some really nice folks whom I had never met, but who were pursuing  county birds the boss and I had found and posted on eBird, called me up and left a message that they had found the goose down in town.

I returned the call and had an absolutely delightful chat with one of the bird folks....I don't get to talk to other enthusiastic birders pretty much ever. Really fun.

And then we went chasing the goose.

No go. No geese at all. Same deal yesterday morning.

However, yesterday afternoon there were a few geese at the spot where our target was seen. I climbed out and began the tedious process of photographing every single one, just in case. But I already knew that I wasn't seeing it. While I was doing so I heard an odd call right below the high riverbank upon which I was standing. Couldn't see any birds because of a huge snowbank so I dismissed it.

Until I got back in the car and Becky said, "Did you hear that? That was something different. I'm going to play that goose call on my phone." And so she did.

And that was it. Out of the car, up on the snowbank, and there it was...about fifty feet from the car.

Who could ask for more?

Whoooo Me.....? Short-eared Owl

However, there WAS more ..... The boss suggested taking a little ride late in the afternoon. I think he gets restless and wants to get out of the house but it is just too icy to do much outdoors. So we did.

Northern Shrike in the near darkness

Just a handful of miles from home I spotted a little bird in a tree across a field. I still get cold chills thinking about seeing my first ever Short-eared Owl. And because I was taking lots of photos of it I discovered that there was a Northern Shrike sitting about two feet underneath it in the very same tree. I needed one for my county list and there it was.

Terrible shot showing shrike and owl

We went on to find three more owls a couple of miles away, swooping around a big hay field like giant feathery moths.

It was probably one of the best day's birding I have ever had. I am still kinda stunned by it all.

Like giant moths or really big bats