Another dark and early departure.

Another ten to fifteen minutes sitting quietly, watching the moon set

as I wait for that magical moment...

Two minutes after five.

Four hours and 44 minutes later finds me sitting 24.5 miles away, recording the temperature (68 degrees), wind (0) and sky condition (also 0). With data on 341 birds, of 31 different species, counted at 50 different places.

The same places I've counted birds for over twenty consecutive years.

So, one might ask... what was the greatest excitement of the morning?

Was it the dead nighthawk at stop 8?

Or the USAF bomber that passed overhead somewhere around stop 40?

How about the two private planes leap-frogging across the empty countryside?

Or the other plane that came diving down to buzz me around stop 48?

Nope. It was none of these. The most excitement came with this, on the road in between stops 47 and 48:

A bullsnake.

But unlike some Pituophis I have met before, this one was in no mood to be friendly.

But yeah, I caught it and picked it up, just the same...