There have been a couple interesting birds at the feeders recently. This American Kestrel did not stick around very long but he sure did give me some good looks! His feathers are very puffed up due to the cold. Normally, he would have a tubular shaped body.
The dogs and I went for an afternoon snowy walk today. They played with sticks. I looked for birds. The only birds I saw were Black-capped Chickadees. They are very athletic. Imagine gripping a branch with your toes! I like chickadees.
Here are a few more marsh birds. Yellow-headed Blackbird, Common Goldeneye with a flock of babies, hatch year Pied-billed Grebe, Eastern Kingbird, a pair of Ring-necked Ducks, American Coots and Gray Catbird. We had a fair amount of rain that day but also some sun breaks.
As I watched and photographed the Virginia Rail family (see last post), there were other birds singing and foraging in the marsh. I heard the familiar song of a Willow Flycatcher and was delighted to see it out in the open where I could easily photograph the tiny Empidonax flycatcher. If it had not been singing, I would have struggled with the ID. Song Sparrows were hopping along on the algae mats, foraging for what, I don’t know. There were three or four of them and some were probably young of the year. A Spotted Sandpiper joined the group, also foraging on the algae mats. And last, but not least, a Common (not so common in my mind) Yellowthroat sang from a prominent perch, giving me great views. Most of these images are heavily cropped as the birds are small and not that close.
Winter birding is not for the faint of heart. The weather is generally not favorable for optics and cameras and the birds can be few and far between. Feeders have the most diversity. Here are a few I’ve seen in December and January.
My Everyday Photos 