Some nice winter variety…

I never did make it to much open water this morning, where I had hoped to find some waterfowl, but I did make it into the nature preserve next to my folks’ place again, where I found several new faces for the year.

Before we get there, however, the song sparrow that was on a fencepost a couple of days ago was in a prominent perch again this morning, as though it was keeping watch over its territory. “Good luck, Buddy!”

Once I got into the woods across the river, the first pleasant surprise was spotting my first yellow-bellied sapsucker of the new year, a female. Unlike Estabrook, which is just “fly-over territory” for them, it appears that we are in their “nonbreeding” or “year-round” range here, depending on your ability to distinguish two similar pastel shades of blue.

The sapsucker was quickly followed by another fun winter sight, this male northern flicker. The official map makes it look like both locations are in their “year-round” range, but my experience has been that they definitely clear out of Estabrook for the winter.

The woodpeckers were nice, of course, but the biggest treat of the morning has to be a little bunch of eastern bluebirds. I only saw one, at first, but then there was a second, and at least a third. Here’s a male, who really made me work for this shot, …

and here’s a female, who gave me several nice poses. We do get to see them during the winter in Estabrook, but very infrequently, and not yet this winter, so it’s great to get a glimpse to tide us over till spring.

As I was following the bluebirds, they eventually retired to the top of a tree, and then the tree was suddenly full of birds. At first, I thought they were all bluebirds, but I was eventually able to get eyes on some that clearly weren’t. Instead, they were cedar waxwings. I have seen them as recently as December in Estabrook, but I sure don’t mind getting another look in January.

Finally, the sunlight and blue sky, which you can see in some of the pictures above, didn’t last long, so this white-throated sparrow, which we have been seeing in Estabrook all winter, got a nice moody shot.

The forecast for tomorrow calls for snow all morning, so I have no idea what picture-taking opportunities might come up, and you’ll just have to watch this space.