The Sun!

It was a beautiful day to be out.  We finally had a full day of sun.  There has been very little sun the last month or so and I cannot remember the last time we had a full day of sun.  It was not too cold and there was no wind today, plus a fresh layer of snow. It made for a nice day to be outdoors.
I went down to Rondeau Park for the first time since the CBC.



 Not too many birds were around, but it was good to get out for a walk.  Quite a few Tree Sparrows were around as well as Chickadees.  The usual birds were at the north end of the campground including Chickadees, Juncos, Tree Sparrows, Brown Creeper, and Golden-crowned Kinglet.  Yellow-rumped Warblers are not around this winter it seems.

Along Stefina Line SE of Blenheim, I saw a couple of Rough-legged Hawks.  I checked a ditch where Wilson's Snipe (2) and a Woodcock have been wintering, but my usual luck prevailed and I did not see them.  This is one of those creeks that never freezes and is quite reliable for snipe during the winter.  Farther down the road, an Eastern Meadowlark was working the road edge.

"dark" Rough-legged Hawk

Down at Erieau there were lots of Swamp Sparrows along the R/R track trail. Also several Song and White-throated Sparrows plus American Tree Sparrows.

There is one small open spot on the Bay that contained a large number of geese and a few swans.  I also saw about 150 geese head out onto the lake.  The Ross's Geese could still be amongst them.
I took a few photos today to take advantage of the sun.