Goodbye Duck Rage And Hello Vultures

 I spent 20 minutes trying to get a picture of a Bufflehead that seemed to only take 2 seconds between dives. I kept on missing the shot and then when I finally got a photo the lighting was no good. I felt like Curly from The Three Stooges when he was trying to eat his oyster stew.

 Turkey Vultures may not be the prettiest birds on the planet.....

 ....but at least they stay still long enough to take their picture.

 I think they look a little better when they're facing the other way.

Winter Birding One Bird At A Time

 I can't believe that we already hit 0 degrees in some places and it's not even December! When the weather is like that I'm happy to find a single bird that makes the inter seem a little warmer like a Red-shouldered-Hawk nestled in a tree. 

 Intoxicated Cedar Waxings that continue to fatten up on berries.

........ and the first arrivals of Common Mergansers. If they can take the cold then so can I! (or at least I try to tell myself that).

Trolling For Birds By Car

I used to have a boat and did quite a bit of fishing. If fishing as slow in one location we would cast a lure or a streamer out and ride around the lake until we found some fish.We called this trolling.I wasn't mentally prepared for 30 degree weather yet so I decided to troll around town in my heated car looking for birds.I searched the wooded hillsides.

I drove by the old railroad tracks here I found a mockingbird that stayed in the middle of a berry bush.

Then I found a Cedar Waxing getting drunk on crabapples. If you drive around enough you'll eventually run into birds.until then at least you have a heater and a radio!

I Got Birds In Forgotten Places

 I made a point of looking for birds in forgotten places today. I made one stop along the Connecticut River and took a walk along a 10 foot wide strip of grass that is owned by the town but it looks as though it's part of someone's yard.

The Dark-eyed Junco is a sure sign that winter is not far away.

 I checked below these colorful fall trees to see what bird was making chip notes.

 The White-throated Sparrow is another bird that will keep us company for the rest of the winter.

 This is a little pond that has no name. It sits behind a few houses and isn't much more than a flooded patch of woods.

Which is all it takes to satisfy a Green-winged Teal.I was happy to find him in a forgotten little pond, especially this time of the year.

It had me singing "I got birds in forgotten places-where the trees are broken and the sign are faded-but that's okay-I found a teal today". Does that song sound familiar to anyone?