gnu and maeve, I envy both of you.   

maeve, your visitors must be a source of great enjoyment. If two herons are staying around, there must be a plentiful food source in your stream? Evening Grosbeaks are so beautiful. The few I had seem to have moved on. The sunflower seed feeder seldom needs a refill these days.

gnu, What a wonderful sighting, a less observant person would have assumed it was a more common bird. I wonder if Sandy forced the Woodcock to move north, either the storm itself, or the damage to formerly suitable wintering grounds along the US East Coast? It will be interesting to see if other "unusual" birds will show up in your area this season.

We've had an unusually high number of Snowy Owls in North central BC, many appear to be this year's birds. Last Wednesday I was able to get out for a drive with my little camera to photograph this one. http://www.flickr.com/photos/diffuse/8186908324/

rags