Birds along the Canal

Yesterday morning I walked a segment of the Delaware and Raritan Canal upstream from the access point at Griggstown Causeway. The woods along the towpath were very birdy, though most of them were common species. White-throated Sparrows seemed to be in every shrub or tangle of vines. A Hermit Thrush was with one of the sparrow flocks. Several groups of Carolina Chickadees and Tufted Titmice roamed around, but they did not seem to have any less common birds flocking with them. At one point, I heard some Eastern Bluebirds calling, but I could not track them down. Near the spillway where I turned around, I spotted a flock of 20 or so Rusty Blackbirds. They were foraging in the woods along a creek and were moving around pretty actively. These birds are, sadly, harder to find than they used to be, so I enjoy any chance I get to see them.