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I had another Friday off so I went to TRP after dropping Sam off at school.  It was sunny and not too bad temperature wise.  I spent 90 minutes and walked about ¾ mile along the backwater and open field.  My highlight was this Hermit Thrush.

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• Pied-billed Grebe
• Double-crested Cormorant
• Coopers Hawk
• Red-shouldered Hawk
• Red-tailed Hawk
• Bonaparte’s Gull
• Ring-billed Gull
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Downy Woodpecker
• Blue Jay
• American Crow
• Fish Crow
• Carolina Wren
• Eastern Bluebird
• Hermit Thrush
• American Robin
• Northern Mockingbird
• European Starling
• Field Sparrow
• Savannah Sparrow
• Lincoln’s Sparrow
• Swamp Sparrow
• Northern Cardinal
• Red-winged Blackbird

I had Friday off so after dropping Samantha off at school, I took off for Treadway’s in Prairie County.  I’m used to going there in the summer for shore birds but inly recently learned that its good in winter for waterfowl.  My target today was a Surf Scoter reported by Kenny Nichols.  This was actually my second attempt, I had gone the Saturday before but had failed to see him.

It was cold and sunny, about 27 F.  That wasn’t so bad as I was dressed for it but the difference between the super cold air and not as cold water made for a shimmering inversion layer that reduced the clarity of my images.

I did see the Surf Scoter and got pictures though he never let me get too close plus the following list of birds.  An asterisk indicates first of year.

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• Surf Scoter *
• Ross’s Goose *
• Snow Goose
• Mallard
• Northern Shoveler
• Canvasback
• Lesser Scaup
• Bufflehead
• Common Goldeneye
• Ruddy Duck
• Horned Grebe
• Great Blue Heron
• Turkey Vulture
• Northern Harrier
• Red-tailed Hawk
• American Kestrel
• American Coot
• Killdeer
• Greater Yellowlegs
• Ring-billed Gull
• Mourning Dove
• Belted Kingfisher
• American Crow
• American Pipit
• Northern Cardinal
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Eastern Meadowlark

CK Franklin had reported a Rufous hummer at her house this week so, since I had Friday off and a new camera, I visited there after dropping Sam off at school.  It was sunny and cold, a little below freezing, and the Sun was still low as I stood quietly in their front yard.  I think I may have just missed his first visit because it took a while for him to show so I enjoyed her other yard birds until then.  Once he did show, it took four near approaches before he decided to come to the feeder but eventually he did.  I got good looks and some good pictures.

Rufous Hummingbird at Franklin House:

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