Following another night of steady, sometimes heavy rain, I set out for the farmlands east of Columbia this morning. There the soil was saturated and the drainage channels, recently desiccated, were free flowing streams; shallow lakes filled low points in the fields.
As one might expect, American robins were the most common birds, scouring the muddy landscape for invertebrates. Birding highlights included red-tailed hawks, a lone wild turkey, a pair of wood ducks and a belted kingfisher.
Though cloudy skies, chilly air and a stiff, northwest wind were not terribly inviting, the soggy landscape was reassuring after our prolonged regional drought. I'm sure the wild, farmland residents would agree.
