New Year's Day Bird Walk and a Snowman

Design - "Snow"

Chart - "Tiny Tidings XX"

Designer - Lizzie Kate

Fabric - 32 count Blue Petite Dot linen

Fibers - WDW & DMC - 2 strands over 2 threads

Started - 9 January 2016

Completed - 11 January 2016

The dot fabric works perfectly to simulate falling snow.

  

New Year's Day dawned crisp and bright. No snow - but cold!

My Mom, sister, and I bundled up and headed over to Delta Ponds for a bird walk. 

The ponds are former gravel quarries which have been restored for bird habitat. These are female Northern Shovelers.

Here's a male and female Northern Shoveler.  They have larger flat wide bills which they use to dredge for food.  

The ponds provide a home for other birds besides waterfowl. We saw lots of sparrows, jays, and crows.

There were lots of American Coots.

They eat aquatic plants.

Here's a Golden-crowned Sparrow.

This is a female Bufflehead.

Here's the handsome male Bufflehead.

This is a pair of Ring-necked ducks.  The stripes on their bills made them quite easy to identify.

This is a Blue-wing Duck.  See the bit of teal on the wing?

We were really pleased to see a male Belted Kingfisher.  As is often the case with this bird, we first heard it scolding, and then located it as it chattered away.  Kingfishers sound like no other bird.  If you want to be amused, take a moment to list to their typical voice. 

Though spring is far way, there are lots of great nesting sights! 

Ubiquitous Canada Geese.

Here's a pair of American Wigeons. 

This is the male.

We saw several Great Blue Herons.

This one look poised to strike!

The Double-crested Cormorants were everywhere.

This is a more typical pose - with wings spread wide.

I had to have help with these birds.  I think they are Lesser Yellowlegs.  They were very shy. 

Here's a small Pied-bill Grebe.

A Yellow-rumped Warbler worked away in the leaves. It was our final bird.  A nice day, a nice walk!