Lots of little birds

My luck continues with the weather in the park, and to sweeten the deal further, the sun came out a bit this morning, and the sky even had some blue patches.

I finally captured a couple presentable images of the many American robins (Turdus migratorius) I see foraging together. Despite that “first robin of spring” phrase you may have heard, they are near the northern edge of their year-round range here. Maybe its just a Canadianism like “serviette” or “Smarties”, eh? Anyway, along with the more-skittish mourning doves, the robins like the steep, west-facing side of the bluff where moments of afternoon sun have mostly melted the snow to expose the fallen leaves amongst which tasty morsels can apparently be found.

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Heck, even a black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) deigned to sit for a portrait, but my autofocus didn’t do such a great job. A pretty little nuthatch was not willing to be so accommodating.

I only saw mallards on the river today. No mergansers, no raptors, no black ducks, nothing new and exciting to report or show you, I am sad to say.

Finally, I swung by the pond, which is completely frozen over these days, and happened upon a few birds in a nearby tree that appear to be song sparrows (Melospiza melodia), as far as I can tell. At least they’ve got the characteristic course breast streaks and central spot. Plus someone was singing a pretty song all the while I struggled at my task.

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And that’s it. That’s all I’ve got for you today. Maybe we’re entering the post-holiday slump.