Bird Spotting at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: Part 1

I spent a short part of my birthday back at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to take a short walk and get some pictures of birds.  It had snowed/sleeted the day before, so the trails were much like they were on my last visit - snow-covered.

It looks like the squirrels use the trails, too!

My main purpose for going was to hang out at the bird blind, wait for birds to show up and partake from the feeder.

Here's the view opposite the bird blind...it's right by the pond:

There was one big problem, though...the bird feeder was empty!  Not going to attract any birds on this visit...

So I had to take my photography skills to the next level and try to capture the birds in their natural environment.  Here are my best efforts:

You have to look hard in this one:

Look closely...there's a bunch in this one:

Of course, the Lab provides some birds with homes, too:

While other birds make their own homes:

What do you think...if you were a bird, does this look like a nice place to live?

It looks like some premature buds are starting to appear on the trees:

Not quite sure what's in this feeder:

Woodpeckers have made their presence known around the Lab's grounds too:

Some birds might prefer a house in the woods:

And others build their own house in the woods:

While I was at the bird blind, I took a 30-second video...not for the sights, but for the sounds.  The birds were all around, chirping away.  And a plane was getting ready to take off at the airport, not too far away.