Gnatcatching and Sparrow Spotting

 This past Sunday was somewhat uneventful at Rondeau.  I could not catch up with the Blue-grey Gnatcatcher in the campground!  A number of Golden-crowned Kinglets and Brown Creepers were present to keep things interesting.

This kinglet must have had too much to drink as it fell off its perch.  LOL.

Today (December 17) was a fine day at Rondeau.  I wanted to see what was going on before the Christmas Bird Count  this coming Sunday.  Nothing new in the way of birds, but some decent "winter" birds were still around (and hopefully for the CBC!).

Redpolls seem to be increasing, as I had more today than any other day.  However I still have not seen on perched or feeding on the ground.

The campground is once again the place to be, although nothing new has shown of late.  We did finally have a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker last Sunday, but it was nowhere to be found today.

The celebrity of the campground is the Blue-grey Gnatcatcher. It took a while to find it today, but Steve and I found it around Judy's cottage.  Although moving quite a bit, and obviously getting food, it was quite photogenic today.

So far, it is the latest at Rondeau.  I once found one a week before the CBC years ago, but that one did not stay.

Lots of Yellow-rumped Warblers are also around.  We had around 15 today, but yet again no other warblers!  One of these days, I hope we find a novelty.

After the park, we headed over to Keith McLean C. L.  We were interested in finding the Nelson's Sparrow.  There were lots of sparrows, including at least 11 Savannah!

Eventually, I spotted the target creature along an edge.  We knew it still had to be around!

It will be a good one for the CBC if found.  It will be there...just a matter of finding it.  I do not have all the records, but there is an entry of a Sharp-tailed Sparrow on the 1973 CBC, as it was known back then.

At least one Killdeer was also present on our visit to McLean's.  No sign of the Least Sandpiper which would potentially be a new one for the CBC.

Weather looks decent for Sunday, so hopefully it will be a productive day!