Winter Weather?

The weather is the real story this week -- hardly a good day and when it wasn't precipitating, it was foggy. Sigh. I spent most of the week planning my travel for the year, focusing on my trip to Southeast Arizona in the end of April. Good progress on that count thanks to some great advice & trip reports from a few birder friends. Still have one very experienced mind to pick, but its really shaping up. When it is basically complete, I will start on the Polar Bear trip in October. Excited about that despite the lousy weather.

Well, I can't complain about Monday. The weather wasn't bad and I was able to find the Yellow-breasted Chat that had been around while I was in Maine. You might recall this was the bird that 2 years ago I saw 6 times in January (mostly different birds), since then not so lucky. I am grateful to Jan & Claudia who found the bird while another birder and I were hanging out at the "wrong" fire hydrant. A few other beauties were there & in Jamestown.

John H Chafee National Wildlife Refuge

Merlin

Gray Catbird

Yellow-breasted Chat

Head Beach, Jamestown

Common Goldeneye

Bufflehead

Racquet Road Refuge, Jamestown

Ice Skating American Crows

On Tuesday in the cold I headed for Easton Pond to try to find the Northern Shoveler that has been reported there several times in the last month. I've probably been there 6 times looking for it. Today I was armed with the info of where it was last seen and a with an assist from the iced over main pond, I found it in the swale (or ditch) the rims the pond on the north & west sides. It was way tucked in & fairly dark, but the bill is so distinct I was able to pick it out.

Later I spent some time with birds with interesting behavior at Charlestown Breachway. Fun!

Easton Pond, Newport

Northern Shoveler (the one with the honkin' bill)

Circled in Blue

Belted Kingfisher

Mallard

American Coot

Pied-billed Grebe

Charlestown Breachway

Greater Black-backed Gull

Red-breasted Merganser & Long-tailed Duck (hardly ever see them out of the water)

Red-breasted Merganser with something to say

Kind of quiet the rest of the week -- just a few photos because of lack of birds & light. Here's what I have from Wednesday - Saturday.

Deep Hole, Matunuck

Dunlins

Bonaparte's Gulls are all over the place still -- I forget how tiny they are until I see them standing in a parking lot

Ring-billed Gull, Charlestown Breachway

Sunday brought rain and gloom, so no birding for me. Working on my presentation for Ocean State Bird Club on February 24th about my South Africa trip including my decision process and preparing for the trip & planning my trip to South East Arizona in April. Next week looks a little better at this point, but the weather is never predictable. Sigh...

Good Birding!