Mar 01 2011 - new visitot

In the middle if a particularly intense business call, I look out onto the deck and get a partial view of an unusual but familiar silhouette. Managing to reach my handy bins, and a Cedar Waxwing joined the deck list.

As a Mourning Dive crouched in relaxed pose on the bird bath I had a chance to study the feather tracts around the head. In a very relaxed posed the feathers on the ear coverts, above the black mark at the bottom, rear of the coverts, stood out like a tufts in otherwise smooth plumage

Of odd gulls and waxwings...and a dance

Cold morning but with the cloud cover breaking around dawn, it warm a little by the end of my walk at 8:40

Nothing on the lake to start with and the first bird was an adult Ring-billed Gull that has large white blotches in the grey back and wings. I've seen a similar plummage partially albino bird here before, maybe it's a returning visitor. Along with the relatively light gull passage this morning, two groups of four American Herring (or should that be Smithsonian) Gulls flew over.
An excellent candidate for Black-capped Chickadee showed well at Pooh Bridge, a big, constrasty, bull-necked bird, with large white cheek patch,white bordered secondaries and some white on the coverts. I'd have like to have seen a Carolina nearby for comparison but had to wait thirty minutes before doing so (of course they are visiting the feeders at home every minute!)
Just above the slope to the riverbed, 14 Waxwings were feeding in a berry bush and taking refuge in the tree above.
Finally back near the Rusty Bridge maintenance shed, 2 Mockingbirds played out a comical dance as they faced off with each other hopping this way and that in a choreographic dance

Trying to get a good look at Chickadee's at the feeders but BOY they move fast! There are undoubtedly many Carolina around.
A very smart adult Cooper's visited the garden behind, sitting on the fence and deck for a few minutes.