National Bird Day 2017

National Bird Day is on January 5.  That was the day last year that really got us going with birding.  This year... we had the weather.  Cold and slippery.  And we were busy.  But we had to take Nichole to dance class this evening anyway, so after we dropped her off we headed down to Salem Pond to see if we could see some things before it got too dark (it got dark quickly).  There wasn't room to park in the parking lot because of the unplowed snow.  Someone had made a path to drive through the parking lot, though, so we parked the van in the path and took turns walking over to see what was on the pond while the other person scraped ice off the windshield wipers.  There was a lot to see.  Jeremy went out and took a few pictures then hurried back so I could go over and see what he saw before the light completely faded.  I missed a few things that he saw because of the light, but that's okay.  All the things I missed were common enough that I'll get to see them again soon.
Here are some of the things either he or both of us saw:
Bald eagle (flew right by us when Jeremy first got out of the van), Canada geese, a snow goose, an American coot, common goldeneyes, buffleheads, common mergansers, Northern shovelers, and mallards.

Not bad for losing light on National Bird Day.  Here's to another great year of birding (starting in the cold Winter- Brrr).