Winter here is cold and snowy (and long… there is snow on the ground now and it could last until early May). There are some straggling migrants still moving through but once they’re done, bird-wise, it will be the regular residents and an occasional winter visitor (Snowy Owls, Northern Shrike, and other birds experiencing an irruption).
But I think the seed heads on plants and grasses are fascinating and I think iNat’s computer vision isn’t great on identifying plants from their dry, wintery seed heads (nor are there lots of photos of them to reference). I always notice the lichen and fungi but they’re hard to id most of the time.
If I can roll over a log, I might find something under it. And I love galls and they tend to stand out when everything else is minimized.
Otherwise, it’s kind of slim pickings for observations. I seek to get better at identifying trees from their bark and structure. I’m not very good with that right now.
As to what I just enjoy… it’s our backyard regulars: Eastern Cottontails, Northern Cardinals, Blue Jays, Dark-eyed Juncos, House Finches, Hairy and Downy Woodpecker, White-breasted Nuthatches and Black-capped Chickadees. There’s a Merlin that likes to perch nearby and I look for him when I step to the window. We get occasional visits from Hawks (Red-tailed, Cooper’s, Sharp-shinned), and Red-bellied Woodpeckers and rare visits from Virginia Opossums and Raccoons.
One of my life goals is to visit the Sax-Zim Bog (upper Minnesota) in the winter to view birds we never see in the southern half of the state.
https://saxzim.org/about-sax-zim-bog/