Chasing the Century

At the midpoint in January I was still a few short of the 100 so I decided to chase a few rarities that have been seen and trek around to find others to fill the holes. Three friends and I headed to mid Ohio before the sun came up yesterday morning. We revisited the now famous home of the Amish Harris Sparrow not to be disappointed. He popped up a few minutes after we arrived and within 15 minutes we had all added a new year bird which was also a life bird for some. From there we headed out to the rural fields to chase a mega flock of blackbirds. We found the flock of four thousand-ish and after pulling over on a very busy road and setting up scopes, we found the star of the show: yellow headed blackbird. A stunning male with a bright orangey-yellow head that popped out in the flock like a beacon. Again, a new year bird and a life bird for most. One hour out and we had already scored two new birds. It was setting up to be a great day.
Ten minutes later in route to our next stop a Wilson's Snipe sprang from a ditch and flew around for at least two of us to view. Bird three for the day.
We visited Time and Optics and talked to the owner. He directed us to a local farm with a silo that held a special visitor. On the top rung of the ladder sat our next new year bird: Barn Owl. The family was very friendly and happy to let us visit. Barn Owl has always been a tricky bird for us and this was almost too easy. Easy, but awesome. Next stop was at a local gravel pit jam packed with Canada geese and two very dainty Ross's Geese hiding within. We scanned for about 15 minutes before the flock shifted and made them stand out amongst the rest. Birds number four for the day.
Next it was off to Killbuck Marsh. As we slowly drove the roads we watched two Barred Owls fly across the road and into a stand of pines. Not a new bird, but always awesome to see.
Not much else was found in the area, but we enjoyed the nice day. At that point two of the group left and we decided to go further south to Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area. We arrived at about three in the afternoon and drove the roads looking for birds. Not much was seen until almost dark. At that point a Sharp Shinned Hawk cruised across the road which made us very happy. Then we spotted two short eared owls in a field near the sportsmen's center. We watched them for a while and then went to the center peaking area to talk to few other birders. At the top of a tree sat a single Eastern Meadowlark.