Good Grief It's Been a Long Time!

Yes, I know I've been away for a long time. 

Sometimes life just gets too busy and you have to decide between all the things you love to do and the things you HAVE to do.  Unfortunately, for me, I have too many things I love to do, and I have to decide what I need to do most for myself at the time.  So, I took a break from blogging.  After today's entry, it may be awhile before I check back in again...you never know.

Today, I decided to post some pictures of some interesting sights I've seen over the last few months.  They may be common to all of you out there, but to me they were exciting and fun to see.

Here are a few shots of several hawks I spotted.  The first two pictures are of two different hawks who appeard in my yard in December.  I've never seen hawks before in our yard.

 

This next picture was taken while I was hiking in nearby Winton Woods...about two miles from where I live.

Two days out of each week I participate in a bird count for Project Feeder Watch associated with Cornell Lab of Ornithology.    This past weekend I was very excited to get this next picture of a Common Grackle with leucism. 

Leucism is relatively unusal in birds.  From 2000-2006, Project Feeder Watch participants reported fewer than 1000 leucistic birds.  Given that participants report about 5.5 million birds each season, the percentage of leucistic birds being reported is very small.

Typically birds with abnormally white feathers do not survive long because they are so much more visible to predators.  Those that do survive may have trouble attracting a mate.  Consequently, the mutated genes that cause leucism are less likely to be passed on to a new generation.  If you are ever fortunate enough to see one of these oddly plumaged birds, consider yourself lucky!