30 Birds make a Bonus Bird Day

As a birder dedicated to getting my 20 Bird Minimum Daily Requirement, I'm getting pretty good at finding 20 species close to home or on my commute down to South Jersey twice a week.  But some days you just want to go a little bit farther, see a few more birds, make an extra effort.  It takes going the extra mile to get 30 birds in a day--perhaps not a full morning of birding, but usually at least an extra stop or two.  If the effort to get your 20 Bird MDR is like doing a half hour of cardio, getting to 30 is like adding some weight training to your workout.  Those extra 10 birds are always nice bonus.

Today I was able to get 20 birds in an hour by driving around Spruce Run and stopping by Demott Pond on the way home--highlights being a continuing Snow Bunting with 13 Horned Larks, as well as a Horned Grebe.  By working all day within sight of my bird feeder, I was able to see 17 species in my yard.  By mid-afternoon I was up to 28 birds.  With just a little extra effort, I was able to see a Turkey Vulture and Rock Pigeons to bet to 30 as I ran some late afternoon errands.

So today was a good 30 Bird Bonus Bird Day.  It took a little extra work, at home and on my drive, but nice to get a little extra reward for that effort.