December 21: Continuing the streak of bizarre weather we've had so far this "winter" - temperatures are still above normal, but the most notable thing about today was the powerful wind. It seemed to be shifting somewhat but it was mostly out of the northwest; for at least part of the day, sustained winds were at least 30 miles per hour, with gusts above 40 mph.
Most of my "birding" today was done from inside, except for forays out to look around briefly and to fill the feeders on the leeward side of the house. But in my time outside, and in watching out the windows, I saw surprising numbers of birds flying around - seemingly more than I would on a day of normal weather. Canada Geese and Tundra Swans were up flying around, Rock Pigeons (usually not around here) and Mourning Doves were flying, Red-tailed Hawks came by repeatedly, and flocks of blackbirds and starlings were flying around all day. Flocks of House Finches and American Goldfinches were arriving in the yard and then departing again repeatedly, even though leaving here means flying a considerable distance across open fields to the next likely feeding spot.
If I hadn't been watching, I would have assumed that such a windy day would have kept bird activity down. It almost seemed as if the birds were flaunting their ability to handle these powerful, gusty winds, and perhaps flying even more than usual.
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