WISN surveys in Mississippi/North east Lousiana

We had four townships to survey in Mississippi, and they were all relatively uneventful.  I had a few days in which I only got a handful of birds each day, until the last township, when I picked up about 80 more birds.  I was on what we call the "unlucky" side, when the snipe "jackpots" all seem to be on the other person's side.  We also got our first flat tire, which no field season should be without.  We got it repaired in Vicksburg, MS, and finished up our remaining surveys in MS.  I added vesper sparrow, white ibis and least sandpiper to my year list, but we are still a little too far north for new/coastal birds.

beaver in field near bayou

Yum!

juvenile white ibises

male Northern shoveler with female and male blue-winged teal

Yesterday, we arrived in Louisiana, where we have 18 more townships to complete.  Yesterday we started the first, and I added about 50 more snipe to my days total, bringing it to 131.  Today we finished the first township and completed the second, and we only added 13 snipe, which were on my side.  My total number of snipe for the season is now around 635, and our group total is around 1140.   Tonight, we are forecasted to get 6-8 inches of snow, which will have the snipe congregating in ditches and other areas of moving water tomorrow.  In my opinion, this makes them easier to find, but only if you are lucky enough to have these moving areas of water in your random survey area.  We are also moving about an hour south, and this area may not be as drastically effected by the cold weather.