After an initial flurry of birding during the first few days of the New Year, I haven’t gotten into the field as much as I’d like. A big snowstorm hit last Monday (6-8 inches in my part of town), the weather turned very cold and windy (freezing most DC bodies of water), and since that time I’ve only had a few brief outings. Temperatures this low and sustained are unusual (and becoming more and more unusual) in DC, and a few usually productive spots for waterfowl (Constitution Gardens, Georgetown Reservoir, etc.) are fully frozen over. That, however, does not mean there have not been birds to see. On January 9th, there was an incredible sighting of an American white pelican flying down river from Hains Point; then on the 10th a pair of great horned owls were observed on the grounds of the Armed Forces Retirement Home; and, finally, on January 12th, a Northern pintail (rare for the city) was observed from Hains Point, along with two short-eared owls that were out on the ice floes of the Potomac.
In my limited birding time this weekend, I made two attempts to find the great horned owls, dipping on my first attempt on Saturday the 11th. On day two (Sunday), I linked up with Gerry and Melanie and after about 45 minutes of waiting we heard two great horned owls begin a duet. It’s always a thrill to hear owls in DC and any owl other than barred is not particularly common. This was also a satisfying observation because the birding conditions were not ideal—the Armed Forces Retirement Home is not open to the public, so the best you can do is stand along the perimeter fence and listen, trying to catch the birds hooting between the ebb and flow of the traffic which comes right past you. I did manage a recording of these birds but haven’t gotten around to the editing yet, and so I’ll leave you with a photo from a past encounter with this species elsewhere in DC. Here’s to more birding opportunities in the coming week!