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There wasn't much time for birding this weekend but I did manage an hour yesterday morning in Little Cypress Creek Preserve, which is just half-a-mile from our house.

With its ponds frozen over and the vegetation covered in frost, the preserve looked beautiful. The cold meant that mosquitoes weren't around and that the trails were less muddy than usual.


For some reason the site is never great for birds and yesterday was no exception. I'd hoped for sparrows but didn't see a single one. On the other hand, Yellow-rumped Warblers were abundant and I was often in the middle of small flocks of them.


An American Kestrel flew off just as I was trying to get a photo.


A Red-tailed Hawk stayed a little longer.


At Home
Back at home, another hard frost killed off more of our plants but also brought in more birds.

The biggest surprise was to see 60 White-winged Doves take over our front yard and feeders.




Later, American Goldfinches finally discovered our thistle sock. It has taken them weeks to work it out.


Having a seed and a suet feeder right outside our living-room window has meant that we see many more of the birds that visit us. Now that the regular visitors are used to us, it has also made it easier for me to photograph them. They often let us walk up to within three feet of them now.

Although lots of Chipping Sparrows drop in constantly, I never tire of watching them. They are such neat-and-tidy-looking birds. They perch on a wisteria while waiting their turn at the feeders and their plumage really stands out against the blue of our garden shed.


An Orange-crowned Warbler occasionally manages to push its way in.


A Carolina Wren has started using the feeders, too, although it never gets in quite the right position for a good photo.


One of our Ruby-crowned Kinglets was posed more photogenically.