Wordle

Two life yardbirds on Dec 16!?

This morning I went out to get a complete checklist in for the third week of December (one of the few holes left in the eBird bar chart for my place).  I didn't have great aspirations (hoping to relocate the SWSP that's been hanging on with the junco and tree sparrow flock), but the warm weather and rain from the past couple of days reopened the water at the wetlands, greatly increasing the potential diversity for the morning.
I ended up with three birds I didn't expect (including 2 life yardbirds!)...  All bolded below:

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  830
Gadwall (Anas strepera)  1 male associating with small group of MALL in shallow pond (#171 for the yard)
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  18
Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata)  4 (2 males and 2 females)
Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus)  1     Immature bird with bum wing.  I'm astonished to see this bird alive and preening on a log this morning.  This pond froze up 6 days ago and almost certainly didn't open back up until the temps came back up on Wednesday and rain thawed things on Thursday.  I checked the snags and logs last Saturday to see if it was still alive sitting above the iced over pond and was unable to see it.  How did it survive at least 4 days of ice!?
Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii)  1
Red-tailed Hawk (Eastern) (Buteo jamaicensis borealis)  1
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)  6
Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)  1
Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)  4
Northern Shrike (Lanius excubitor)  1     Singing bird in shrubby crabapple along the margin of golf course.  Lots of tall grass/brush and cattails with numerous sparrows and rodents around, possibly could winter in this area? (#170 for the yard) (photo taken on 12/17 as the bird obligingly hung around to be counted on the FermiLab CBC!)
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)  1
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)  6
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)  17
American Tree Sparrow (Spizella arborea)  3
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) (Junco hyemalis hyemalis/carolinensis)  12
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)  4
House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus)  17
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)  3
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)  8

I didn't bring a camera out this morning (as I expected to be pulling teeth birdwise), but I'll try to relocate the NSHR tomorrow or Sunday morning and get some photos.

Good life yardbird

Just had a WISN fly over the house at dusk, giving the scrapy, reedy, single note repeated at a regular, slow interval. Bread- hate to say it but you are TIED for the year with someone who started on 20 September!