Friday evening offered cold temperatures, periodic snow, and good birds at Spring Valley.

The impoundment contained a few hundred coots, with dozens to hundreds of northern rough-
winged swallows and tree swallows patrolling the water's surface and grabbing the occasional 
snack.  

From the south parking lot, we saw a mixed flock of gulls in the air that included ring-billed, 
herring, and what we were fairly certain were FRANKLINS GULL.

Other waterbirds included Canada goose, blue-winged teal, pie-billed grebe, mute swan, and 
wood duck.  

We saw a pair of yellow-rumped warblers in small shrubs along the shoreline.  They looked a little 
disheveled, suggesting that they were very recent arrivals.

There were a few rusty blackbirds in and among the tens of thousands of red-wing blackbirds.  As 
the sun set, they covered the branches of sycamore trees, calling relentlessly.  Occasionally flocks 
would errupt, fly a circle or two around the boardwalk, and then settle down again.  They were so 
numerous they blocked out the sun at times.

Others making an appearance included: starling, cardinal, white-breasted nuthatch, Carolina 
chickadee, song sparrow, eastern towhee, turkey vulture.  Surprisingly, we saw no woodpeckers.

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