#121 - frigid field trip

alright, headed out to the OFO field trip this morning and was shivering pretty much the whole time. I don't know if it was the sleeping for only 5 hours, or the -20 temperature, or maybe I needed to wear a THIRD pair pants and my battery-operated socks? (for real...get yer own at CT, but warning: they take giant double D batteries. and no, I don't know if that is a real battery size, I must be thinking in bra terms)

So, after completely losing the group, we finally found some interesting birds. Sandy and I saw a guy pulled over on the road and realized he was looking at a whole bunch of horned larks. Score! They were hilarious to watch...they had dug these little holes in the snow where they had presumably found something good to munch on...but they were kind of hoarding these little holes, and every once in a while another one would come scooping in and shoo one out of his little hole. And they would eat and pop their little knoggins out every few seconds as if to say, "hey, i'm watching you...get your own hole!"

#121: Horned Lark; Kinburn Side Road, Kinburn/Antrim; January 22, 2011.

these horns are darn cute but they were actually really hard to discern when you're watching them. (ok, just read in my trusty field guide that the females have no or reduced horns. noted!)

outta here!

So I'm really happy to get a new bird this weekend. The question now is do I brave a wind chill warning for tomorrow of -35/-40 to find some lapland longspurs/gray partridge? might have to find those socks....