Carolina Wren, Red-bellied Woodpecker

The Christmas Bird Count for Woodstock took place yesterday. I couldn't take part in a full day count like last year, but I did get to see two species in the morning before my family left for the day.

The Carolina Wren has been around for four months now! I've actually had it in my yard four days in a row day and I've seen it multiple times each day. Cold weather is returning later this week so maybe it will finally head south.

I've had a Red-bellied Woodpecker stop by five times this month. It is pretty difficult to get a picture of. I want it to continue to return so I've only been taking its picture through the window so I don't scare it away.

Pine Siskin - Christmas Bird Count

I don't see a lot of Pine Siskins each year. Yesterday was the Christmas Bird Count for Hartland so we were quite pleased to find two at a feeder we stopped at. Four of us found 29 different species yesterday and another 8 species have been found during the count period so far. Hopefully at least one Pine Siskin will be around for the Woodstock CBC next Sunday!

Red-tailed Hawk

I found two Red-tailed Hawks yesterday! Right after church I drove around Woodstock and Hartland for close to three hours. The first one I found on the Rosedale Road right in someone's yard and the other was on the highway on my way home. The last three or four times I've seen a Red-tailed Hawk, I haven't had my camera so it was great to get a picture of each yesterday.

Red-bellied Woodpecker

There are quite a few different reports of Red-bellied Woodpeckers in New Brunswick this winter. This is the second time I've had one come to my backyard. Even though it came twice this afternoon, I couldn't get much of a picture. It was enough to just watch it for a few minutes as I would much rather it come back again instead of scaring it off just for a better photo!

Canvasback

It turns out there is a duck even more rare than a Redhead in the lagoon here in Woodstock, a Canvasback! I just returned from there and got to actually spend time studying it with my binoculars and got much better pictures. The picture below isn't the greatest as it is very cloudy today and I didn't want to scare it away, but there is enough to confirm its ID. I appreciate the feedback of a few great birders (Gilles Belliveau, Joanne Savage and Dwayne Biggar) that initially made this suggestion after the picture I posted yesterday. Their guidance helped me know what to look for when I returned today. 

Canvasback

Yesterday I made a quick stop at the sewage lagoon in Woodstock. I was pleased to find a bright male Redhead! It is a first for me so I went back again early this morning. It was still there (it was actually the only duck present). I didn't get much of a picture due to the mist coming off the water, but as you can see there is enough there for a positive ID.

I plan on going back there tomorrow and definitely again on Monday. December 1st is the start of the Winter Bird List for New Brunswick so it would be great if it sticks around at least until then!

*Turns out, this was really a Canvasback! Some other great birders noticed features of Canvasback rather than a Redhead in this poor photo. I returned today to confirm the ID and will post a better picture in my next post.

American Tree Sparrow

The American Tree Sparrows have arrived in my yard. I had just one last week, but yesterday there were three. The Dark-eyed Junco's are around on a daily basis as well. I have had a high of twelve so far this winter.

Overall yesterday, it was a sparrow afternoon. A Song Sparrow has been sticking around these last few weeks of November. There were actually two yesterday and I was also surprised to see a White-throated Sparrow. We had quite a bit of snow (probably at least 25 cm) and by the time it stopped at noon, that's when all the sparrows showed up.