The last couple days I started working on a Google MyMap for all the park locations, honing in on the main entrance roads so directions are easier to call up, especially when I'm on a multi-park day and I need to drive from one to another. My map will be linked on the main page of the blog and be available for anyone wanting to see what I'm building and operating from during the year.
I have also added a layer for the State Waysides and may add other key locations near the state parks that I might want to stop at for a look see. I'm thinking things like key roadside stops that might add value for a bathroom break and a quick eBird list, etc... I like to squeeze every last drop of fun out of my trips so these type of prep efforts for me help to ensure I don't waste time and energy while I'm out and about.
Birding: Work finished up for the year today and it has been tough to get out much lately, but I was able to steal out after work today with plenty of sunshine. I got stops in at Afton Marina, Carpenter Nature Center, and Point Douglas Park. The best bird was the continuing Long-tailed Duck at Point Douglas that gave me nice looks so I could finally snag a decent picture of the species.
Pete Nichols and I have some tentative plans the next week to try and find some extra birds before our Washington County big year is complete. We are thinking additional open water looks for something like Black Scoter (before the big freeze-up comes), Spruce tree routes to look for Crossbill species, maybe some northern routes looking for Snowy Owl. We don't have a lot on the table, but anything is possible and I would love to add at least one more bird.
No comments:
Post a Comment