Kestrels and more: A trip with my bird club

Yesterday I went to King William County to participate in my bird club's Cristmas Bird Count. It lasted from 10:30 - 2:30. We saw a lot of cool birds as we birded at a few ponds and marshes.

I used my really good new camera to take the pictures. Here are some things we saw:

Lesser Scaup

Buffleheads are very timid and stay far away from people, so it's hard to get a clear shot.

Eastern Bluebird

White-throated Sparrow

This was really exciting - 15000 Red-winged Blackbirds being chased by 5 Red-tailed Hawks.

Tundra Swans and Geese

Another exciting thing was the American Kestrels we saw. They are the smallest and most colorful raptor in North America. They came really close!

Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers have beautiful red crests and have great camoflauge too.

We saw a lot of other birds that I didn't photograph - Ruby and Golden-crowned Kinglets, Red-headed Woodpeckers, and more. It was awesome!