Western Meadowlark

Another sunny day and I made my way out to Brunswick Point this afternoon. As there was little wind, the river would be calm and smooth. While this was the case for the river when I arrived, I was disappointed to see no activity out there at all. Not long into my walk though there was a pleasant surprise.

Western Meadowlark
Western Meadowlark

Some Western Meadowlarks flew into the trees along the trail. The lighting was far from ideal, but I did manage this shot. There was over a dozen Meadowlarks moving between the farm fields, marsh and trees along the dyke.

Further along the trail I located a Northern Shrike, and later in the afternoon a half dozen Short-eared Owls got active over the marsh along with the usual Northern Harriers. Unfortunately I was not able to get any decent shots of them.

Varied Thrush

A little gloomy today, but still nice to get out for a walk. This afternoon’s destination was Brunswick Point. Another location where I have had recent glimpses of my current nemesis bird, the Swamp Sparrow. While watching some Robins at the beginning of the trail,

Varied Thrush
Varied Thrush

… a pleasant surprise was this Varied Thrush.

Varied Thrush
Varied Thrush

While not uncommon, the Varied Thrush is still a good bird for this area. Just unfortunate the light was not a little better, but I still managed a couple of shots. As for the rest of the walk, no sign of the Swamp Sparrow or many others for that matter. Another bird conspicuously absent was Short-eared Owl.

Short-eared Owl

I initially took a quick swing by the ferry causeway again, this time for the Horned Larks. On speaking to some fellow birders, apparently they had not been seen today. Not having been there in a while, I then headed out to Brunswick Point to see what might be around.

Short-eared Owl
Short-eared Owl

Having discussed if there were any Short-eared Owl around this location with the birders at the causeway, it was good to four active above the marsh.

Short-eared Owl
Short-eared Owl

No real opportunity for closer shots today, but the Short-eared Owl will likely provide more chances throughout the winter.