Great Blue

So the Snowy Owl quest was a bust. We went to all the places he has been seen in the past week and were skunked. We did see many birds. Here is a not-quite-all-inclusive list:

Tundra Swans
Great Blue herons
Double-crested cormorant
Cackling Geese
Canadian Geese
Sandhill Cranes
Red tailed hawk
Northern Harrier
American Kestral
Mallards
Buffleheads
American coots
American Widgeon
- not the Eurasian widgeon but there are supposed to be a couple on the refuge
Pintail Ducks
Pied-Bill Grieb
Northern Shoveler
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Crows
Scrub Jay
Starling
Rock doves
Lincoln sparrows
And the spot of the day: Ring-necked pheasant.

Then we saw the craziest thing. In a field this guy had four cardboard cutouts of coyotes standing guard. My dad said they are very effective for keeping flocks of geese from landing in the field.