I went out at dawn, on the second, hoping for some great spots and I was in luck. The birds were very co-operative.
At Cranberry:
19 american coots
1 adult 1 juvie greater black-backed gull
At Thickson Woods:
1 m red-breasted nuthatch
1 f red-bellied woodpecker
1 brown creeper
4m 6 N. cardinals
1 RTH
1 kestrel
1 pine siskin- at a feeder
3 robins
1 white-throated sparrow
2 white breasted nuthatch
At Second Marsh:
5 golden crowned kinglets
1 N. mockingbird
2 m cardinals
6 trumpeter swans
1 sharp-shinned hawk
1m 1f gadwall
1 N. goshawk- a large juvenile female- I was admiring the two gadwall when abruptly they spotted me and began to flee but a large shadow swooped out of nowhere and they dropped to the water, the Goshawk wheeled and flew directly at me, I spotted the white eyebrow and could tell as it flew past, maybe six feet overhead, that it was much larger than the males that buzzed a group of us at Cranberry earlier in the fall. These birds never seems to pass up an opportunity to buzz past, almost like it enjoys showing its ferocity, its utter fearlessness. An awesome surprise. Enjoyed watching it fly away too...
On a section of the waterfront trail, between Holt and Waverley on S. Service rd. :
1 rusty blackbird
1 red-winged blackbird
what I believe was a sizeable flock of bohemian waxwings (30-40) that circled twice while I prayed for them to land
1 f downy wodpecker
5m 3f N. cardinals
2 RTH
All tolled I spotted 44 species... an awesome start to December.
Happy birding!
-Tim-
