I arrived in Sax-Zim Bog shortly after sunrise this morning. It was a cool, clear, crisp morning (45F) with ground fog. I checked some normal haunts first on McDavitt and Admiral Roads … including a shore hike into the woods on the South Logging Road, but not many birds were present.

After a hike on the Warren Nelson boardwalk yielded a completely silent forest and no bird sightings, I decided a change of approach was necessary. I exited the Bog and visited the farm fields a bit south of the Welcome Center. Jackpot. I quickly found hawk families hunting, and the treat of the morning was when a flock of Barn Swallows paused their southward migration to have breakfast within yards of me. If a bird is hungry enough, they will ignore your presence. Such was the case and I had the unique experience of watching hundreds of Barn Swallows often from only a distance of a few yards.

This first bird did its best to imitate the stare of a Great Gray Owl. It almost fooled me!

Some of my other favorite pics … good time!

Flock on a Fence

Individual on a Fence Post

For those of you planning a trip to the Bog, remember to add my Sax-Zim Bog Google Winter Birding Map to your mobile device (no install necessary … just an easy map configuration to access)