A singing White-crowned Sparrow

 Pure Goldfinch

 A White-throated Sparrow

 A nutty Nuthatch

 A Red-winged Blackbird

 A goofy Grackle

Todays big prize...a Belted Kingfisher (male) and a Savannah Sparrow

 Winter Wren...I think?

 A White-throated Sparrow

 A White-crowned Sparrow

A Northern Flicker...formerly known as a 'Common' Flicker.

Over all, A great day for birding here in beautiful Norfolk County. I missed a Brown Thrasher. Had our first White-crowned Sparrow arrive along with multiple White-throated Sparrows. Had a close encounter with a Flicker. Still no Warblers here but I've heard the od one. 

 Well, the 2016 birding season has officially begun. I went out early today for my first extended birding expedition and came away with several nice shots. The Flickers were calling all morning along with the Towhees. I use a recorded call for the specific bird I'm targeting to help lure them closer. It works great!
I posted some images of my essential birding gear which I take with me. I also wear camo clothing, good rubber boots or hunting boots and face covering. I thoroughly believe these items make a significant difference in not spooking birds that are very close, especially waterfowl.
I just purchased the Wimberley Gimbal tripod head (WH-200) and it's excellent! I'm currently using a Nikon D800E with my Tamron 600mm and a Nikon SB-800 flash. all seems good for now. I'm interested in the new Nikon D500 DX. with its 1.5 crop factor and blazing 10-11 fps and 20+ MPs. Maybe in the fall?    

A Common Flicker calling for a mate.

 An Eastern Towhee also calling for a date. I love their blood red eyes. 

 I got the jump on this old boy when I seen him before he spotted me. Again, camo was the determining factor here all most. He flanked me on the right and landed in a tree over the main path but about two hundred yards ahead. I slowly made forward progress advancing only several feet at a time. It certainly wasn't long till he tired of the game and left. So, only one shot from too far away.

 Wood Ducks. Simply beautiful waterfowl!

A shot of a Bluebird swing'n in the sun!
Things are looking excellent for an encounter with a Warbler soon...

 Bluebird (male)

Bluebird (female)

Been winter out for the last little bit so birding has slowed. Not many new arrivals to report, A Brown headed Cowbird, a few Easter Phoebes and yesterday, our mating pair of Eastern Bluebirds returned.
The weather reports show a consistent warming trend for the next week. This should bring many new migrants north and possibly a few rare birds...