Good Nature Guides Needed

With my parents visiting from Mexico, I have taken a few days off work to be with them. They have become unaccustomed to cold Canadian weather and are being "treated" to a return of winter. Snow is forecasted for the next several days, the sky is grey and the wind, damp and cold. This morning I knew there were just a few hours before it would start snowing, so I took a 4 km hike on my own for some exercise and to see what I could see. I have seen some birds for the first time this week including Tree Swallows, Cowbirds, Goldfinches, a Kildeer, an American Kestrel and a Bufflehead duck. I was hoping to identify some sparrows other than the house sparrows that are always in my yard.

I think I saw a Song Sparrow. Am I right? The sky is so overcast that it is hard to get a decent picture. And the wind was so strong that the branches were moving wildly. I have never identified a Song Sparrow before, even though I hear them frequently.
There were a number of hawks about and I watched a Red Tail pursue and catch a small bird.

This hawk flew close to me and I am not sure if it is Cooper's or a Sharp Shinned Hawk. Again, a little more light would have been helpful.

I finally found a skunk cabbage growing in a swampy area, but I don't know what left these dry and delicate cases along the river bank. Jennifer has ID'd them as wild cucumber and Africakid calls them wild cucumber skeletons.

It is time to visit the library again for some good guides. Bev, from Burning Silo has posted some links to online guides. I would love to participate in the Blogger Bioblitz, but would have a lot of homework to do.
Even if winter is returning for a short while, I have seen that spring has really arrived.