Exploring Hot Spots

At the first of the month eBird issued a challenge to submit observation lists for twenty different Hot Spots during the month of March.  They wanted to encourage birders to explore new Hot Spots, and those that did would have their name entered into a drawing for a new pair of binoculars.  That sounded pretty easy to me so I started keeping track to make sure I visited twenty Hot Spots. Daily I realize it is taking more of an effort than I imagined. It’s pretty easy to go to a tried and true location that you know is good for birding again and again.  Or even turn in a list for your own back yard, but to turn in a list for a different location twenty times in one month gets to be more of a chore.  I say this as a way of introduction and explanation as to why I found myself at the tiny Pioneer City Park in Independence this morning.  It was one more Hot Spot for me to knock off close by.  Surprisingly I was awarded an opportunity to photograph this Brown Creeper.  I have complained before that this is a hard bird to get a good picture of, and I took twenty this morning to be able to have this one good one. This park was was Hot Spot number 15 for the month,--- 5 more to go!