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The European Christmas Bird Count

10,000 Birds

The Christmas Bird Count was the answer. The IWC census starts from mid-January following the logic that it is the period when the birds have reached their wintering grounds and are rather static, so the chance of double-counting the same flock is minimal. But it is so frustrating to pass the birds by without IDing them!

Geese 139
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The Self-Refreshing Rarity

10,000 Birds

Apparently this is not uncommon for this species, but it takes some getting used to for a birder to pull up alongside what is an ostensible rarity in the state and snap a photo of the birds with your cell phone as you idle in the road. The other birds took some doing to find. These, however, were as wary as lawn geese.