Of Bronchitis and Bird Counts

So today was the final day of the "Great Backyard Bird Count", where ordinary people can help scientists keep tabs on the various bird populations across America by reporting in what species they see in their neighborhood. The birds at my feeder decided they didn't want to take part in the census today, kept away by either the windy weather or a predator. I did manage to get in a couple of Canada geese, along with a handful of starlings just outside the Chili House restaurant. Oh, and another Eurasian collared dove managed to show up in the yard, getting into a bit of a scuffle with our resident E.C. dove.

Chad's still down with some sort of bronchial infection, poor thing. Even chocolate hasn't perked him up. While he took it easy in bed, I continued to sketch sandhill cranes for a project I'm working on.

Speaking of cranes, here's an odd question: do whooping cranes ever get whooping cough?