Creeping into Spring

We had planned to make a birding foray today to Long Island, checking out Jones Beach and Point Lookout - maybe our last winter outing for birds this year. We had hopes of seeing waterfowl, and with recent high winds, maybe some ducks up close. But, our trip was not to be, as this has become a weekend of proofing for our book which is about to go to press! Wanting a quick break yesterday, I jumped on the subway and visited the Reservoir in Central Park, Before I could even get near the water, on the path from 5th Avenue just north of the Met Museum, I was greeted by a fluffy and chilly Brown Creeper who was working the tree bark. Despite the high winds which had kept a lot of waterfowl bumped up against the west shore of the reservoir, and a lot of much larger birds in hiding, this little guy was unpreturbed....flying to the base of one tree and picking his way up...then on to the base of the next. Brown Creepers are here all winter, but he was terribly co-operative, and made me long for the start of migration...which is, thankfully, not too far away.