COEUR d'ALENE — Deep croaks were heard as a raven soared south near a turnout on Mica Creek, then circled around to fly north.

It was the first bird of the day for those on the Coeur d'Alene Audubon's January Mica Bay Survey, and the first eBird of the year for one participant keeping track on his Cornell Lab phone app checklist.

"He flies like he's rowing a boat," Coeur d'Alene Audubon President Ted Smith observed as the large black corvid sailed overhead.

A small group of birding enthusiasts, with binoculars and spotting scopes on hand, spent a few hours Tuesday morning searching for avian varieties as they explored trees along roadside trenches, grassy meadows and one welcoming resident's property on the way to the Mica Bay Boat Launch.

Counting the songbirds, gulls, ducks and two bald eagles spotted side by side on a low-hanging pine bough, 16 different species were seen during the excursion. While it wasn't as many as some had hoped, they were pleased to see some feathered friends they weren't expecting.

"We get a lot of waxwings, tree swallows, flycatchers. It's a good spot for them," Smith said. "This time of year, it's pretty vacant."

Pam Gomes of Hayden said a lot of the birds seen during the Christmas Bird Count in December would have gone south during a normal winter and the northern birds hadn't come in yet.

"That's what we're seeing because it's such a warm year," she said. "Things aren't frozen that should be."

Mark Launder of Coeur d'Alene and his grandson, Bradley Launder, 12, were among the January crew. Mark Launder has been part of the Audobon Society since before he was his grandson's age. Bradley has been interested in birding and coming along on Audubon excursions for a few years.

"Whether you see a bird or not is secondary," Mark Launder said. "It's just being outside, being with people that have a common interest. And then when you see something, it's always fun to identify what it is. Birds don't just end up 10 feet away from you for very long trying to help you identity them. They're usually elusive, and you're having to track them and see the different characteristics of where they are and what they do."

Bradley said he enjoys seeing the different birds and spending time with others who enjoy the activity. He said the coolest bird he spotted was a long-eared owl when he was at the Saltese Wetlands in Liberty Lake.

"It's fun seeing all the different species," he said.

The nonprofit Coeur d'Alene Audubon holds free monthly events throughout the year that everyone with a love of birding or simple curiosity are welcome to attend. As well as the Mica Bay Surveys, the group conducts field trips to observe wetland birds, holds birding classes for beginners and is more than happy to work with children for educational programs.

Birding, or birdwatching, is one way to become more knowledgeable about the role birds play in the natural ecosystem. Coeur d'Alene Audubon has been dedicated to protecting birds since 1990.

The next Mica Bay Surveys will be Feb. 11 and March 11.

Info: cdaaudubon.org

    Song sparrows alight on branches on Jerry Hanson's property Tuesday morning near Mica Bay.
  

    Bradley Launder, 12, makes a new friend Tuesday morning as he participates in Coeur d'Alene Audubon's Mica Bay Survey.
  

    Mark Launder looks through a spotting scope across Mica Bay to see a widgeon and a grebe among the usual suspects Tuesday morning.