It was sunny, but quite cold and windy this morning, so I decided to stay close to home. I didn't see a lot of birds on my short hike, but was surprised to see a Brown Thrasher here. They are commonly seen from spring until early fall, but are fairly rare here after October 25th.
Brown Thrasher
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
I headed over to the Rockfish Valley Trail mid-morning. The skies were completely overcast ahead of the approaching rain. The trail wasn't very "birdy," but I did manage to log 18 avian species and one white-tailed deer. Highlights were a pair of Rusty Blackbirds and a flock of 50+ Cedar Waxwings. Lowlight was being approached by a barking Pit Bull that was running loose off of its leash. Its owner called off the dog, and said, "Don't worry. It's friendly; just scared." A whole lot of thoughts raced through my mind, but the only one that I will repeat here was, "Those two adjectives apply to me as well." :-)
Rusty Blackbirds
Rusty Blackbird
Rusty Blackbird
Cedar Waxwings
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Field Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Carolina Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet