Other priorities prevented me from arriving at Crystal Crescent Beach early this morning to find and photograph the Louisiana Waterthrush.  When the birders left I lingered underdressed for the bitter cold and wind hoping for a revisit. There were lots of Iceland Gulls and Pipits milling about. Pipits often overwinter at these kelp heaps sometimes accompanied by Snow Buntings and Lapland Longspurs.

The consolation prize was my first Ipswich Sparrow of the spring. This variant of the Savannah Sparrow is a larger, lighter and tougher bird thought by some experts to be a separate species. They breed primarily on Sable Island after assembling along the coast to fuel up for the long and treacherous oversea crossing. Their lighter colour may be an adaption of camouflage due to nesting on and about the sandy dunes of Sable Island.

Ipswich Sparrow

Ipswich Sparrow

Ipswich Sparrow Ipswich Sparrow Ipswich Sparrow Ipswich Sparrow Ipswich Sparrow Ipswich Sparrow

​The Song Sparrow is in full song now all along our coast.

Song Sparrow  Song Sparrow Song Sparrow Song Sparrow