For the week Dec 23-30 I embarked upon a cross continent jaunt that saw me spend time in four states and one province, take six flights on four different airlines, and visit six different airports (four of them twice).
I tried to do a bit of birding along the way. Below is some documentation of what I saw. No life birds, but plenty of variety. I did get a life airline (Westjet), a life airport (Kelowna, BC), and met a fellow kossack in the flesh for the first time (note I did meet kossack TexMex back in the 80s, long before this site existed so I figure that doesn't count).
The above picture is cheating a bit as it was taken on the 22nd. It's a Common Loon just off of Alligator Point in Franklin County, Florida. With an unseasonably warm 77 degree day I decided to eek out a few hours to visit the gulf coast one last time. In the same area were these horned grebes
Just down the road at Bald Point State Park was this fearless Sanderling
The following day I flew to DFW. On the morning of the 24th I went for a walk in a park along the shore of Lake Ray Hubbard, in the far eastern suburbs of Dallas. It was cold and windy and a few drops of rain spat down. Although the actual temperature was somewhat lower later in my travels, this was probably the coldest I felt the entire week.
I saw a few birds including a brief glimpse of American Pipits but not enough to make me feel the cold was worth it. Until I turned around to start back and saw a mass of larger white blobs, and little black blobs out in the lake.
It was a flock of about 20 white pelicans and at least 200 cormorants who had clearly found the mother load in terms of fish.
Unfortunately for the birds, human fishers were using the birds to locate the fish for themselves (note the boat above). Eventually the birds gave up a flew away to somewhere they could fish in peace.
Next morning it was onward to the north and west. Next stop was the Vancouver International Airport and a 5 hour layover. Not quite long enough to leave the airport and go off an do something, especially as I was somewhat weary from the celebrations at my in-laws the night before. I did walk around outside a bit at the airport, which has a small park. Most of my bird sightings were from the top of the parking garage which was almost empty. A number of gulls flew by, including some Glaucous-winged but nothing close enough to photograph. Also some (presumed) Northwestern Crows - they were small and their calls did sound a bit different.
I spent some time stalking them when they perched but it turned out I need not have bothered.
Inside the airport has a nice observation lounge which looks out onto some of the airfield plus surrounding scenery. I noticed this flock of birds flying almost immediately.
Using one of the handy mounted scopes in the lounge I digiscoped this slightly closer photo. They appear to be some sort of shorebird but it was too far to tell anything further.
The birds have moved further away and are just a smudge in the distance - this photo is to give you a feel for the surroundings, with Vancouver Island vaguely visible in the distance.
The next day I was in the Okanagan valley in south-central BC. Mostly I was visiting family but my dad did take me out for a drive in which we passed a local landfill and saw a bunch of ravens and a few bald eagles.
On the 27th I participated in a local Christmas bird count. The weather was highly overcast and the light poor so not much in the way of photos. I was quite taken by the Barrow's Goldeneyes (only my second time to see them) and the Magpies (only seen a handful of time before and, IMHO, one of the most striking birds in North America). The locals thought both of these too common to be really interesting and were much more excited by a Spotted Towhee and were in constant search (unsuccessfully) for Bewick's Wren.
Magpie in an orchard, somewhat obscured by the fruit tree in which it is perched.
We stopped at Vaseaux Lake on the way back to check out the Trumpeter Swans. There were quite a few in evidence but quite far away - I got better photos the next day.
Wednesday the sun came out and we elected to head up into the mountains along the road to a local ski resort.
The ponderosa pines of the valley floor.
eventually gave way to spruce and snow
I walked up an old logging road a way but all I could rouse out of the silent alpine forest were some red-breasted nuthatches
On the way back home we stopped to photograph some Trumpeter Swans on Lake Okanagan that liked to hang out conveniently close to the highway.
On the 29th it was on to Seattle and a 9 hour layover. Kossack bwren saved me from this grim fate and took me birding on Lake Washington where I marveled at coots swimming in tight formation, so unlike our antisocial Florida coots
Bufflehead were also plentiful
And I was reintroduced to the challenging world of western gulls. I think we decided this was probably some sort of hybrid.
The next morning I arrived in Charlotte, NC before dawn. In the hour or so between sunrise and the final leg of my trip home I perused nearby trees through the airport windows. Not a bird did I see at any point. Apparently there are no birds in North Carolina.