Pipits and Another Snow Bunting

 A few more Winter birds, American Pipits and a Snow Bunting.

Longspurs

 I found a small flock of Lapland Longspurs feeding in the frozen beach wrack in early February.  They or another group were still there feeding 3 weeks later.  These are shots from the latter date and include 3 different individuals. Most of my attention was focused on the brightest looking (more colourful) bird.

For an explanation on beach wrack here is a quote from google.

"What is beach wrack? Natural material that washes onto the beach is referred to as wrack and includes algae, sea grasses, and some invertebrates such as sponges and soft corals. Wrack serves as the primary source of nutrients to beach communities and is the foundation for the food chain."

Juvenile Male Hooded Merganser

 For anyone not familiar with these birds, they are the smallest of the three species of mergansers found here. The most obvious difference between the sexes of the juveniles is the colour of the eye (yellow in the males) and the colour of the bill.  All black in the males and black with mostly orange/yellow lower mandible in the females.

Fox Sparrow

 Like most Winters in this part of the province there were a few Fox Sparrows around.  Some at feeders and some, like this one,  at any patch of bare ground they could find during the snowiest stretch of the season.

Purple Sandpipers

 I didn't have too many opportunities to photograph Purple Sandpipers this Winter.  This might have been the only time and nothing at close range. 

Red-breasted Merganser

 Female or immature male,  I can't say which with any certainty.

Another Common Goldeneye

 This bird had me a little confused when I first saw it.  I always think of Common Goldeneyes as having a green sheen on the head and the Barrow's having a purple sheen.  This one definitely had a purple sheen,  I don't know whether it was the direction of the light - mostly side and back-lit - or if this bird is just not typical of the species in that regard.