Nov 18, 2010 10;30-1:50 sunny 50` windy Trustom Pond, South Kingstown RI

It was a sunny day, with a cool breeze which rustled the bows of the trees. Above us soared a Red-Tailed Hawk watching our car as it pulled into the parking lot at Trustom. As usual the feeders were covered with birds. White-Throated Sparrows, Northern Cardinals, Dark-Eyed Juncos and Mourning Doves littered the ground (they were so plentiful that they had worn away the grass under the feeders) while above them Black-Capped Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, American Goldfinches, White-Breasted Nuthatches and Downy Woodpeckers flitted constantly from bush to feeder and back to the bush.

We started down the trail stopping here or there to watch a Murder of Crows passing overhead or the occasional Blue Jay, on another occasion we found a flock of Golden-Crowned Kinglets flitting through the over-reaching bows of an old wrinkled tree which bore more of a resemblance to a witch then any commonplace plant.

Golden wings flashing, over went a Northern Flicker. We paused to watch a Brown Creeper scramble up a tree. A little further on I peered into the undergrowth and discovered a Hairy Woodpecker watching us (Hairys are very similar to Downys except they're hairy and are larger).

On the pond we found a huge flock of Mute Swans at least 50 strong. Mixed in with the Swans was a large flock of scaup species and Double-Crested Cormorants. Scattered over the pond was a large assortment of waterfowl: Common Loon, Mute Swans, Canada Geese, Mallards, American Black Ducks Gadwalls, teal species, American Wigeons, scaup species, Common Goldeneyes, Buffleheads, Red-Breasted Mergansers, Hooded Mergansers, Ruddy Ducks and American Coots.

The Coots were the most exciting of the waterfowl. There were huge number of them only 20 or so feet from the observation deck. We stayed for quite a while photographing them and watching the Northern Harrier and Herring Gulls in the background.

We saw three species of mammals on the walk: 1 White-Tailed Deer, 1 Red Squirrel and my mother saw one mouse which was running about in circles and then vanished down its hole.

It was great day all in all!