January 1st is the beginning of a new year and the beginning of a new bird count. I keep track of the birds I’ve seen and photographed in the year. Today I began my count by photographing 8 birds. Last year I ended with only 45 birds but I hope to do much better this year. The birds I saw today are:

#8 Robin

#7 Nuthatch

#6 Chickadee

#5 Carolina Wren

#4 Starling

#3 Cardinal

#2 Hairy Woodpecker

#1 Red-bellied Woodpecker

I’ve been photographing birds lately. This is a great time of year to get bird photos. Here are the ones I’ve added to my list:

#39 Eastern Towhee

#38 Orchard Oriole

#37 Spotted Sandpiper

#36 American Goldfinch

#35 American Crow

#34 Blue Heron

#33 Seagull

Here are some birds I photographed recently.

#32 Chipping Sparrow

#31 Mourning Dove

#30 House Finch

#29 Tree Swallow

#28 Brown Thrasher

#27 Female Cowbird

#26 Long Eared Owl