Forest fungi #2

Here's another mushroom I found this morning under the trees. You can see pieces of what I think are part of its partial veil hanging under its cap. Again, I wasn't able to identify it.

Forest fungi #1

Today's moist conditions brought out the mushrooms in the wooded section of the trail at the marsh. At least it was the first time that I noticed a number of these white ones, in different stages of development, growing in the litter under the trees. I'm hoping that someone can tell me what kind of mushroom they are, as I just got confused trying to identify them with my field guide.

Is it a bee? Is it a wasp? No, it's a fly!

Well, what I thought was a bee turns out to be a bee look-alike. I did a little research on the differences among bees, wasps, and flies. It so happens that there is a family of flies called Flower Flies (nearly 900 species in North America!) that mimic bees and wasps in looks. However, the flies have short instead of long antennae, large eyes on the front of their heads instead of on the sides, and one pair of wings instead of two (and aren't hairy, as bees usually are). These flower flies are great pollinators, do not sting, and their larvae eat lots of aphids, so are good to have around. This particular flower fly is a Spilomyia fusca (sorry, no common name).

More painted turtles

On the 26th I mentioned I hadn't seen any Painted Turtles for awhile, and then saw one that day. Today as I approached the water's edge near the viewing stand, I noticed three round humps in the duckweed, two of which disappeared as I got closer. It was then I realized it was three painted turtles who were partially submerged in the water. Just a few feet away was this one, with just part of its head visible above the surface.

Is it a butterfly?

You know those black and white butterflies that fly around with a rattling sound, and disappear when they land? I was able to get this shot of one this morning alongside the trail. When I checked it out after I got home, I discovered that it is a kind of grasshopper called a Carolina Locust. Fortunately, it is not one of the species that does severe crop damage.

Sora teen-ager

As I was walking past the little pond below the sewage lagoons this morning, I noticed several tiny frogs leap into the water. Taking a closer look to to see if I could spot one, I startled a Sora that happened to be in the tall grass next to the path. It jumped out onto a clump of grass, and then scooted over to the reeds at the side of the pond. I had to be quick, but I managed to get a couple of fairly good shots before it disappeared into the reeds. I was really excited as it was a juvenile Sora, not a fully grown adult. I had seen two just recently, but wasn't able to get a shot of them.

A new-to-me bee

This morning I noticed a couple of kinds of bumble bee collecting pollen from this Meadow Sweet blossom, then noticed a bee that I didn't recognize. I still haven't identified it, so suggestions welcome! (I think it is a bee rather than a wasp, as apparently wasps usually have tiny 'waists', although I could be wrong...)

Berry picking

A couple of times recently, I've seen a flock of robins in this large Shadbush at the marsh (or Indian Pear or Serviceberry as it is also known). The berries seem to be favorites of the robins. We can eat them too; although fairly seedy, they are quite sweet.

Sunbather

I was just thinking that I hadn't seen any Painted Turtles for awhile, when I noticed this one basking in the sun near one of the viewing stands. It'll be another few weeks before baby ones hatch from the eggs laid last month.

Faded beauty

I've noticed a number of Red Admiral butterflies around this summer. This one happened to be sunning itself alongside the trail this morning. The edges of its wings were rather ragged. These butterflies live into the late fall, apparently, until they succumb to freezing temperatures. The two views above are of the same butterfly.

Elbow room, please!

This morning I saw three Great Blue Herons again, perhaps the same ones seen on Saturday. This time they were at the mouth of the inlet into the French Basin. I don't now what the issue was, but one of them seemed to want one of the others to "move off".

Proceed with caution

While walking on the spur of the trail that ends up at the old railway station, I was surprised to see this Bald-faced Hornets' nest hanging in a hawthorn tree alongside the trail. I don't know why I hadn't noticed it before; perhaps because it was a cloudy morning, it was more evident. These hornets, actually a kind of wasp, are the ones that make this style of paper nest. Bald-faced hornets are beneficial, killing great numbers of flies and even other wasps, apparently. But yes, they will defend their nest if it is disturbed.

Present and accounted for

I think I finally discovered where the great blue herons like to stand in wait. I had wondered why I wasn't noticing them as often this summer. This morning, as I was scanning the marsh with my binoculars from the viewing stand on the rail bed, I found three way out in the marsh, on the edge of one of the loafing bars. They would only have been visible from that vantage point. In this shot of two of them, a male wood duck is swimming past.

Gossamer wings

I saw this pretty dragonfly this morning. I wasn't able to identify it, although I think it is a kind of skimmer dragonfly, as they frequent marsh habitats. Any dragonfly experts out there??

Nosing around

I met this little fellow on the trail this morning, and watched him for a bit as he nosed about searching for edibles. He then began to dig in the path, and I caught him and his dirty nose when he raised his head.

In disguise

This morning I happened to catch this prime example of a duck in eclipse plumage. It was busily feeding way out on the water, but finally raised its head so I could see the color of its bill. Since it was yellow, that makes me almost certain that this was a male adult mallard (the female's bill would be more rusty colored). He wont be back in his full dress until probably September.

Face-off

Last evening I witnessed something new to me in Pied-billed grebe behaviour. I happened to be watching four young grebes when I heard some splashing off to one side. When I looked to see what the commotion was, I saw two adult grebes in a face to face encounter, bodies raised out of the water and splashing the water with their wings. They then settled back down but still faced each other, with their heads raised and black throat patches distended, as in the photo above. Reading up on grebe behaviour, I learned what I witnessed was an example of a territorial display. Apparently one had encroached on the other's territory!

In my reading, I also learned that Pied-billed grebe numbers are declining in New England: in New Hampshire they are classified as endangered; in Massachusetts as threatened; in Vermont as "of special concern"; and in Rhode Island as locally extinct. One of the biggest reasons for the decline is wetland degradation and loss. We here in Annapolis Royal are indeed fortunate to have a wetland that provides ideal habitat for this little charmer.

Ducks galore

I didn't get to the marsh at my usual time yesterday due to the weather; instead, I went between 5 & 6 p.m. I was pleasantly surprised at the number of young families I saw, plus many adult ducks busily feeding, in contrast to what I've seen lately on my morning walks. Perhaps the birds have been resting during the heat of the day and returning to the open water to feed when it's cooler. (Maybe I need to change my walk times??)

Two families I saw are pictured above. The top photo is of a new Ring-necked duck family; the bottom is of four Northern Shovelers of a group of eight. I was most excited about seeing them, as this was the first Shoveler family I'd seen this summer. Their large bills make them easy to identify. (Sorry for the poor quality, but they were quite far out on the water.)

Insect patrol

Yesterday, I noticed a few chickadees busily scouring the trees for edibles in the wooded area. I kept my eye on this one as it flittered about, waiting for it to stay still long enough for me to get a shot. I finally managed to get it in this awkward position - poking about under the bark of a pine tree for insects.

Tree for two

Yesterday while looking for Wood Ducks in the dead trees at the water's edge, I saw these two juvenile ducks tucked in among the trees. Because of their distinct white eye rings and black bills, I believe them to be Ring-necked ducks.

Birds of a different feather

Have you noticed that there don't seem to be as many adult ducks around the marsh lately? It's because at this time of year, they have moulted into their eclipse plumage (the males resembling their female counterparts), and then they started to lose their flight feathers. This means they are not able to fly for a few weeks. In order to stay safe, they lay low, hiding in tall grasses or deeper water.

Yesterday I made my way through the undergrowth alongside the wooded area of the trail, to see if I could find any Wood Ducks in the dead trees near the water's edge. The top photo above I believe is a male in eclipse plumage; the ducks in the bottom photo, I believe are juvenile males.

Another cozy nest

There seem to be Pied-billed Grebes nesting all over the marsh. It takes binoculars to find them, as most are some distance from the shore. Yesterday I watched this pair, who seemed to be in the process of building their nest. The male had just brought a piece of vegetation to be added to the little floating platform.

Getting somewhere slow

There wasn't a whole lot of activity at the marsh this morning, so when that happens I often 'go macro'. That is, I look for little wildlife - like this snail. Snails are especially evident after a rain. I saw a number of them on different plants - this one was on a leaf of a sensitive fern. The second shot shows it moving from that leaf to one beside it. Not long ago, I would have walked right by and never noticed it and its slow and patient journey.

Tall & handsome

I saw this magnificent bird way out in the marsh today, as I was scanning the bird life with my binoculars from one of the viewing stands.

Deja Vu??

Does this photo look vaguely familiar? Actually, it is the same photo posted on July 18, but rotated 180 degrees. Why you ask? Because after a friend sent me a photo of a green bee , I looked at my photo more closely - and realized I was looking at the bee upside down. Its abdomen wasn't green, its head was! Once I got that straight, with some online help, I was able to i.d. the bee as a Green Metallic Sweat Bee. They like to pollinate flowers, too.

Reaching the heights

Finally this morning I caught a few of the geese as they did a fly over. Luckily, they always announce their flight before take-off, so I had a few seconds to prepare. This time they didn't just fly a few feet above the water's surface, but soared over the tree tops. They'll be wandering farther afield now, although the marsh will remain their home base until they depart, probably in November.

The dark side

This morning I finally found one of those white butterflies that stopped long enough for me to get a shot. I question why I bothered, as it turns out it is a Cabbage Butterfly, the bane of vegetable gardeners who prefer their broccoli (and cabbage) cabbage worm free. I might be biased here, since I suffered from their presence in bygone years.

A bee of a different color

The Knapweed is coming into full bloom these days, and the bees are attracted to their blossoms. I saw these two on the same clump at the marsh this morning. The one at the top I'm pretty sure is a Tricolored Bumble Bee, but I haven't i.d.'d the one with the green abdomen. It might not even be a bee, as there are some insects that mimic bees. Any ideas??

Where's my lunch??

I saw the geese take a short flying lesson this morning. I wanted to catch them 'on film', but I wasn't quick enough. I saw the yellow warbler I saw yesterday in the same willow clump, beak once again packed with insects. And I saw another Common Whitetail Skimmer dragonfly - the second within a week - when I've never seen (or noticed) one before. But the cutest thing I saw has to be this little Pied-billed grebe chick pleading with its parent for something to eat.

Nap time

Remember those eleven young Blue-winged teal orphans? This morning I saw two Blue-winged teals sitting among the cattails near one of the viewing platforms. I took a few shots, then thought that perhaps these were of that group I had been seeing, so started looking around to see if I could spot the rest of them. Searching with my binoculars, I located six more in among the cattails, some more relaxed than others! The blue wing feathers are clearly visible on the teal in the upper shot.

Time out

I got a good shot of a female Black Duck this morning, sitting on what I believe to be a muskrat house. Her offspring were feeding nearby.

"Sailing, sailing . . ."

The Sea Cadets were out on the French Basin this morning, learning the ropes of sailing. Not exactly wildlife, but a pleasure to watch from the trail, especially on a hot summer's day like today.

Busy bees

Bumble bees were busily collecting pollen from the few remaining wild rose blossoms at the marsh this morning. These seem to be two different varieties of bumble bee. Apparently there are several kinds found in our area, and the males of each species look different than the females, making for a fun time to try to i.d. them!

Feathered friends

This morning I had to check to see who - or what - was on the little "islet" where the cormorants congregate. There was quite an assortment of birdlife - two cormorants, seven black ducks, one great blue heron (it's been a while since I have seen one of those), and one yellowlegs (the small bird in the center of the above shot), a kind of sandpiper. I think it was a Greater Yellowlegs (there's also a Lesser Yellowlegs) because I had heard its distinctive, fairly loud, deew. deew. deew call not long before.

I never would have known these birds were there if I hadn't had my binoculars with me, so it pays to carry them when visiting the marsh. You never know what you'll see!

Brunch on the wing

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Just before entering the wooded section of the trail is a clump of willows. I have seen a pair of Yellow Warblers there a number of times, so I suspected they were nesting there. This morning I spied this male with a mouthful of tasty treats for a youngster who was probably nearby.

Keeping cool

I could hear frogs plopping into the water all over the place this morning, whenever I approached the water's edge. This Green Frog who was hiding in the grass when I passed by didn't 'plop' far, so I was able to get this shot.

Secret passage

These shots are today's piece de resistance, I think. It was just before entering the wooded section of the trail this morning, when I saw one of those little white butterflies that are flitting about these days. I watched to see if it would light somewhere so I could try to get a shot. It didn't, but as it flew off behind me, I noticed a slight movement in the grass beside the trail. Upon a closer look, I noticed a little head with two bright eyes peering at me. It was a little muskrat, and I had just walked right past him/her, without even seeing him. As I watched, it scuttled into the end of a piece of white drain pipe that runs under the path, which it had obviously used to get where it was, from the marsh side. I stood and waited to see if it would come out of the pipe again, and it kept sticking its nose out to see if the coast was clear. By that time I moved on, as I was getting bitten by deer flies. But I was tickled pink, as I knew I had a memorable tale - and the pictures to go with it - to post to my blog!

A cosy little nest - if you're a grebe

There are more grebes in the making. This morning, way out on the water I saw this grebe on a little platform she'd likely created out of plant material. As I watched, she settled down and was soon joined by her mate.

Hitching a ride

I know, not the best quality picture, but if I were to get a closer shot I would have gotten very wet. I hope you can make out that mother grebe has one chick on her back, and another following very close behind. This is the second new grebe family I've seen lately.

Gotcha!

These little Savannah Sparrows are almost always seen hopping along the path or flitting about the grasses and bushes alongside. It's difficult to get a photo of one, as they move so quickly and are quite timid. Luckily this morning this one held still just long enough for me to take its picture.

Biding time

The Canada geese have been spending quite a bit of time on their own island the last few days (where the first nest was located). They were there again this morning. It won't be long now before flying lessons begin.

Inconspicuous beauty

The other day I noticed a small patch of Deptford pinks alongside the trail just past the entrance. I'm amazed at the proliferation of plant life that has sprung up along the trail since it was created eight years ago. At that time all the vegetation I recall is a mass of blackberry canes. The tiny blossoms of this attractive plant are no more than 1cm across.