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.