Barn Owl

 So we were driving home last Friday night, when we noticed this on the wires near our house.  I immediately noticed the heart-shaped face.  We turned around to double-check and could confirm it as a barn owl.  A life bird for me, and the first one Mike has seen since childhood days of visiting his grandmother, who had a pair nesting in her outbuilding.

Just goes to show you that you have to keep your eyes open and observant all the time.  Pics obviously not great due to dusk conditions and trying to use an iPhone camera instead of my good one.

The ID websites described its underparts when flying as being "ghostly white."  Great description.

Birds We Observed April 11-13, 2022 - Huntington Beach State Park and Santee Coastal Reserve

In no particular order:

1.  Blue winged teal
2. American wigeon
3. willet
4. Lesser yellowlegs
5. Anhinga
6. Great blue heron
7. Snowy egret
8. Great egret
9. Little blue heron
10. Tricolored heron
11. Turkey vulture
12. Bald eagle
13. Blue jay
14. Fish crow
15. Carolina Chickadee
16. Tufted titmouse
17. Tree swallow
18. Gray catbird (heard)
19. Eastern bluebird
20. Red-winged blackbird
21. Brown-headed cowbird
22. Boat-tailed grackle
23. Common gallinule
24. American coot
25. Anhinga
26. Yellow-crowned night heron
27. Red-bellied woodpecker
28. Pileated woodpecker (heard)
29. Fish crow
30. Carolina wren
31. House finch
32. Orchard oriole
33. Summer tanager
34. Northern cardinal
35. Canada goose
36. Spotted sandpiper
37. Bonaparte's gull
38. Least tern
39. Double crested cormorant
40. Blue jay
41. Tree swallow
42. Barn swallow
43. Prothonotary warbler
44. Ruby throated hummingbird
45. White throated sparrow
46. Yellow rumped warbler
47. Chimney swift
48. Red-cockaded woodpecker
49. Great crested flycatcher
50. Eastern kingbird
51. Blue-gray gnatcatcher
52. Brown thrasher

Golden Crowned Kinglet

Was happy to see a golden-crowned kinglet yesterday down at the farm - a life list bird for both of us. I couldn't get a picture as they move way, way too fast. Their behavior is very similar to the ruby-crowned kinglet which comes often to our feeders. Always nice to get a new bird!!

Crazy Snow Day 1/16/2022

Absolute mayhem at our feeders all day today, getting worse as evening approached. 19 species. The birds cared very little if we raised the blinds or got close to the window. They were in a feeding frenzy all day. It was really nice to have a day like this, with no place to go and yet without losing power. We watched the birds off and on all day.