Die hard birding

Debbie and I felt like some die-hard birders yesterday when we went to the Ocmulgee Mound for some bird watching.  It was 38 degree outside and the cold wind didn't help.  I forgot my gloves and the binoculars felt ice cold in my hands at one point.
But, guess what, the birds were out and it turned out to be a pretty rewarding birding outing.  We even had a close look at two Pileated Woodpeckers busy in the trees.  A small flock of Canada Geese were resting from their migratory trip. They stood on one leg and tucked their heads under their wings. They were so tired they barely moved when we went by. 
There were many Northern Flickers around and these birds look quite colorful when you see under their wings.  Flocks of Robins were around as well as flocks of Red Wings hanging out with European Starlings.  Some birds have made their home here and we see them regularly like the Red Shouldered Hawks, the Great Blue Herons, the Red Headed Woodpeckers with several other Woodpeckers, Chickadees, Titmice, Cardinals, various Warblers and Sparrows. We can finally tell the different Sparrows apart.
However, it's nice to see a different group of birds hanging at The Mound when the seasons change.  The Cedar Waxwings have been around in large numbers recently and you can still see them, several Eastern Towhees are now here, Killdeer and some Plovers are back, and the Anhinga has been hanging around.
It's even nicer when you see a bird that you don't normaly see at a site.  In this case, we saw a female Mallard and a Ruby Crowned Kinglet. (No, they were not together).
As much as we're learning about birds, we still see and hear birds that we cannot identify.  Well, we may be braving the elements and appearing "die hard", but we still have a lot to learn (like forget your gloves when it's cold!).

New Year Eve get together

We had our New Year celebration with the visit of the Price family. 
What a way to kick off the New Year!
We all enjoyed some good food with great company. Of course we played some Rook games and everyone had fun no matter if you won or not. We also played some Pool games and Duane surprised everyone.  He is good!


This is Ms. Price (Mama) with some of her children: James, Debbie, Ricky and Connie. 



We all were thankful for the past year and are looking for a better 2010. There are a lot of things going on in the world today and it's nice to be together and see the smiles on everyone's face.

What truly counts is Family that's why Debbie and I always feel blessed to have family who care enough to visit. 




We wish everyone a great and prosperous year 2010!