As nice Sunday afternoons can be busy at the sanctuary, I headed out to help on the trails at Reifel. Given the wonderful weather, it was not overly crowded. Still on the chilly side, some of the sloughs and ponds still had a thin layer of ice. This reduced the number of waterfowl present. When I arrived there was a little wind, but this too increased which would keep some of the other birds tucked away.
A Pileated Woodpecker was still working the trees on the inner trails. From speaking with some of the visitors it was providing good looks in the open at times. Unfortunately for me, it was deep inside a group of trees when I saw it. There were also several Northern Flicker flying around, but none settling anywhere long enough for photos.
The only woodpecker that came somewhat out into the open for me was this Downy Woodpecker. There were a couple of them working the centre dyke trail.
Towards the end of the afternoon I came across something a little unexpected,
… this Red-tailed Hawk along the east dyke trail. It was not the hawk itself that was unexpected, as they are abundant in this area, but that it stayed put on the branch. I usually find that once they figure out you are on to them, they are flying off. Just goes to show that reactions of individual birds will vary and some are less concerned and cooperate for the occasional photo opportunity.
As if wanting to make this point again, the same Red-tailed Hawk, in a different tree at the end of the day as I was headed back to the car. Quite comfortable roosting in a tree adjacent to a trail watching both ducks and visitors alike.
