Same but no wind

Didn't get for a walk locally today, it was warmer today, not that the temperature rose above freezing, but the wind had died off so it felt pleasanter.

Today we decided to drive back to the Deroche slough....

the amount of birds in the open areas was truly astonishing.  I was sort of thankful that it wasn't next Friday which is the first count day for the Back Yard Bird Count, although on second thought it might have been easier to count as there were so many birds concentrated in these smaller areas, rather than spread out.

Not sure how many Trumpeter Swans were in the area, between the slough and nearby fields, but there were lots...probably at least a couple of hundred.

after visiting the slough we headed to the end of Nicomen for a walk along the dyke.  That is our dog up there in the distance.  There were quite a few birds in the vegetation along here...

including a number of these Spotted Towhee....also saw Woodpeckers, both Downy and Hairy, Varied Thrush, Chickadees and Kinglets.

a final look at the Fraser River, this is the spot where we saw the Ruby-crowned Kinglets down on the ice early in December, also the spot where I found the Bewick's Wren....looked and listened today but no sign of any wren.