The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) in northwest Ohio this year was not-so-great. The highest count we had was Saturday with a grand total of eleven species and it just went downhill from there. Sunday brought ice and wind along with low visibility and Monday was no better, the ice replaced by four inches of new snow.
The hardy birds that stuck around did not include the Northern Mockingbirds that reappeared this year for a few weeks or the many American Robins that had been hanging out in the trees. A lot of Horned Larks have been hanging out by the road, but Saturday was the only time we actually could see them.
The Northern Cardinal pair stuck around for all three days we counted, as well as Blue Jays, House Sparrows, European Starlings and fly-over Canada Geese were about all we saw daily.
All-in-all a not-so-great year for birding the GBBC, but a good weekend to stay home!