Ring-billed Gull

Here are a few shots to prove that I do actually leave the yard sometimes to go take pictures. Ring-billed Gulls are a little smaller and more agile than our other common gull species like the Herring and Great Black-backed. They are actually quite good fishers and less dependent on scavenging as the others mentioned.  In the following images the bird is searching and diving for small fish swimming below the surface.

Palm Warbler on another Snow Day

I need to be more careful when attempting to predict the weather. April is obviously no guarantee that it's not going to snow again as this day proves, so here I am again posting pictures on another snowy day after proclaiming the previous post would be the last of my snow themed photos. 

  It's unusual for me to post images on the day I took them but I couldn't resist the urge this time. Although I've photographed Palm Warblers more times than I care to remember,  I believe this may be the most excited I've been to see one. On a day when I thought I'd take a few shots of the regulars at the feeder this guy flew in the yard, attracted likely by the other birds. An early migrant, I'm hoping it survives this (hopefully) last blast of Winter. I'm a little more concerned about the Tree Swallows I saw yesterday, I think the Palm Warblers are fairly hardy.

Snow Day - White-throated Sparrows

This should be the last snow day post for this Winter. It's April after all. These were taken in late February and early March.

Snow Day - Fox Sparrow

It is a bit unusual to have a Fox Sparrow here all Winter.  Typically they show up in the Fall and leave after a few days or arrive in early Spring and stay awhile before moving on. This bird has been here since late Fall and was still around today - March 24. I think there may have been more than a few that overwintered this year.  I did see two others on an outing today, I'm not sure if they were early migrants or just more of those that spent the Winter. 

Snow Day - Hairy Woodpeckers

From a couple of different snow days from this past Winter, both male and female Hairy Woodpeckers. The male is my resident woodpecker, has been a regular here for a number of years now. There have been several females over the past few Winters and I can't say I'm able to distinguish one from another. This one took weeks before she was comfortable with my presence, in recent days she seems a lot more tolerant of me. 

Snow Day - American Goldfinches

Taken during one of the first snow storms of the Winter - December 28. I don't recall there being much snow on the ground at the end of it but enough fell to make making images a little more interesting.

American Tree Sparrows

I was looking for waterfowl but I found these guys instead. They were hanging out in a duck hunters blind at Matthew's Lake on January 13. I don't believe they were waiting for ducks. I had seen a small flock in the area on a previous trip so it wasn't a huge surprise, the location was just a bit unusual.