Today began gray and gloomy, but with the promise of sunshine later on in the day. I had decided the day before to give our local Quiet Waters Park a try today, even though it’s been disappointing in the past.
The Sun was beginning to shine by the time I arrived around 9:00, and it turned out to be a good choice.
I went to the Blue Heron Pavilion, as it leads down to the water, and I found a few ducks, one of which turned out to be my first Hooded Merganser. Subsequently, I headed back up the path and ran into a large mass of varied birds, including woodpeckers, finches, Cedar Waxwings and sparrows. A Pileated Woodpecker soon came into view and hung around for a while, which was a thrill for me, as I’ve only seen two others.

This Hooded Merganser was quite distant, and I thought it was a ruddy duck when I first saw it. I’m getting a teleconverter soon, which might allow for closer looks at these far away birds.

You always know when there’s a Red Bellied Woodpecker around, but it’s much easier to get a photo when the leaves have fallen.
What a great day for you ans therefore,for me. Love them all but the pileated woodpeckeR was gorgeous. Is that what Woody is?
That seems to be the consensus.