This Wednesday I spent over 2 hours at the park and took a whopping 98 photos. This was mostly due to the fact that I spent extra time sitting in various placing hoping to get closer to my subject. The first thing I saw though was right along the paved path and quite close. There were at least 3 or more Cedar Waxwings -something I've not seen in a long time. This time however they were close enough for me to notice the small, brightly colored details I was previously unaware of. Check out the bright yellow tip of the tail and bright red tips of the wings. Later, I decided to sit for a while again under the big Cottonwood tree on the creek, still trying to get closer to the Hooded Mergansers.
While they stayed mostly out of range, a single small duck appeared close to me out of nowhere. It was a Pied-billed Grebe, the first I've ever seen at the park. I watched him dive under the water and resurface after long periods over and over again. My field guide says Pied-billed Grebes are very sensitive to pollution so I'm kind of surprised to see one here as Shingle creek is full of garbage and plastic bottles. I can't tell if the park is attracting more species of birds or if maybe I'm just more on the look out for them. As I was almost back to the parking lot I noticed an oddly colored Duck way out on the opposite end of the lake.
He was black and white but even from this distance I could see the brightly colored yellow eyes tipping me off that it was a Common Goldeneye. There was also a female with a dark brown head. A couple other noteworthy things I saw but were unable to photograph were a Blue-winged Teal and the Mink swimming in the creek again.
This Wednesday I spent over 2 hours at the park and took a whopping 98 photos. This was mostly due to the fact that I spent extra time sitting in various placing hoping to get closer to my subject. The first thing I saw though was right along the paved path and quite close. There were at least 3 or more Cedar Waxwings -something I've not seen in a long time. This time however they were close enough for me to notice the small, brightly colored details I was previously unaware of. Check out the bright yellow tip of the tail and bright red tips of the wings. Later, I decided to sit for a while again under the big Cottonwood tree on the creek, still trying to get closer to the Hooded Mergansers. 
While they stayed mostly out of range, a single small duck appeared close to me out of nowhere. It was a Pied-billed Grebe, the first I've ever seen at the park. I watched him dive under the water and resurface after long periods over and over again. My field guide says Pied-billed Grebes are very sensitive to pollution so I'm kind of surprised to see one here as Shingle creek is full of garbage and plastic bottles. I can't tell if the park is attracting more species of birds or if maybe I'm just more on the look out for them. As I was almost back to the parking lot I noticed an oddly colored Duck way out on the opposite end of the lake. 
He was black and white but even from this distance I could see the brightly colored yellow eyes tipping me off that it was a Common Goldeneye. There was also a female with a dark brown head. A couple other noteworthy things I saw but were unable to photograph were a Blue-winged Teal and the Mink swimming in the creek again.
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