On an unseasonably cold April morning, I led a Spring Field Ornithology group to the Lansing Center Trail. It had started to snow when we arrived, and apart from a cooperative kestrel and many song sparrows scuttling in the brush, we weren't seeing many birds. When we got to the small woodlot, I pulled out my ThermApp, and was soon alerted to this hotspot:
Having seen many such hotspots by now, I instinctively assumed it was probably just another squirrel, but the binoculars revealed a most pleasant surprise: a red-morph Eastern Screech Owl!
I did not have my good camera with me at the time, so I returned later, after the snow had abated and the sun had started appearing, to take the two photos above.
Meanwhile, here's a random Therm-App image of the road leading to my house, showing a number of Dark-Eyed Juncos foraging by the road.
Having seen many such hotspots by now, I instinctively assumed it was probably just another squirrel, but the binoculars revealed a most pleasant surprise: a red-morph Eastern Screech Owl!
I did not have my good camera with me at the time, so I returned later, after the snow had abated and the sun had started appearing, to take the two photos above.
Meanwhile, here's a random Therm-App image of the road leading to my house, showing a number of Dark-Eyed Juncos foraging by the road.
