A bleary morning – overcast, -2 degrees, the occasional light flurry, just a hint of an easterly breeaze…..and an American Robin calling bravely from the top of one of the spruces in front of the Mansion before flying of to the northeast. I had neglected the feeders for several days so there weren’t many birds around when I first arrived. I filled them and then went walkabout. The river is still wide open except for an ice shelf that extends about 10 meters out from shore for about 50 meters along the east shore – a convenient place for the Canada Geese to rest and preen. They were joined by a “feral” domestic white goose that flew off with them when I approached.

Observed 21 species:
373 Canada Goose
1 Domestic Goose
9 American Black Ducks
46 Mallards
19 Common Goldeneyes
1 Red-tailed Hawk
4 Ring-billed Gulls
1 Herring Gull
1 Belted Kingfisher
3 Red-bellied Woodpeckers
4 Downy Woodpeckers
6 Blue Jays
3 American Crows
12 Black-capped Chickadees
7 White-breasted Nuthatches
2 Brown Creepers
1 American Robin
1 Song Sparrow
1 Dark-eyed Junco
1 House Finch
6 American Goldfinches

Rick

Here are a few pictures that I took the day after Rick’s census mentioned above:

The first two let you see the current ice cover on the river. Interestingly, the Grand is entirely frozen over in sections north of Caledonia.

Ruthven’s cemetary