Good BYE winter

hopefully I'm not jinxing it.

These are random pics that didn't quite fight through the all-Costa Rica all-the-time blitz I was on for 6 weeks.  It was a good blitz.

Probably my best ever birds-in-a-snowstorm pic, Hooded Mergs from last week...

About a month ago Rhoda and I were walking Warren Dunes not expecting much.  A Sharpie was mildly interesting.  Then we watched it fly up to a tree trunk and rip a Red-headed Woodpecker off the trunk.  It disappeared over an edge and I started sprinting through 2 feet of snow following the screams.  I overshot it and it kicked away.

I was able to use some cover to work my way down to it.  Rhoda saw a Pileated buzz it while I was turtled up over the viewfinder.

 The half-ring of dark gray that comes below the eye from behind is a very good mark for Sharp-shinned if you're close enough to see it.

A surviving Red-headed from the same walk.

I didn't put the time in to get the full-frame low shot of one I should have.

These are pics from just your average mid-March blizzard.

Finally a Red-throated Loon and White-winged Scotor that didn't make the cut in the Long-tailed Duck post...