Gotta Love the One You're With

 I did some early-morning walking yesterday around  Long Pond, Pippy Park and Kent's Pond. Birds were just beginning to move. Nothing rare appeared, but "usuals" provided a lot of entertainment. The bravest and first to fly in was this hungry Hairy Woodpecker.

 She paid no attention to me as she worked very hard to dig her breakfast out of the tree.

 I don't think I had ever noticed the interesting little black and white pattern around the eye before. Even the common birds can bring new experiences.

 I saw five Red-breasted Nuthatch around Long Pond. Typical of their behaviour, they come in close, sometimes too close for a good shot. Nevertheless, it is nice to see and hear them back in their familiar place.

 I saw a flock of finch fly overhead, but I don't think they were goldfinch. Just above me, I found three American Goldfinch that didn't stay around long as the foot traffic began to pick up on the trail. There were few robins, chickadees, juncos and jays fliting through the woods.

Kent's Pond yielded 15 Ring-necked Ducks and one unknown "warbler," A birding trip is never complete without the one that got away.