HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL YOU BIRDERS!! After taking daughter to Hinton to catch AMTRAK I had time to do a little birding. In spite of snow squalls blown by gale force winds at times I found the following birds at: Blue Stone Lake: Northern Flicker Downy, Red Bellied and Hairy Woodpeckers Ruby Crowned Kinglet Red Tailed Hawk Ring-Billed Gull Small Group of Hooded Mergansers Mt Valley Lake off Rt 3 (It was busy with water fowl) 100(+)Hooded Mergansers 100(+)Ring-necked Ducks 6 Bufflehead 5 Canada Geese 3 Ruddy Ducks 2 Black Ducks 2 Gadwall 1 American Widgeon 1 Hermit Thrush 1 Golden Crowned Kinglet Pipe Stem State Park (Not much action here) 3 Canada Geese (Lake) 1Raven (Observation Tower) Dave Raines/Breaks