Stuck in its craw

This Great Blue Heron was in the small cove at the Sail School that borders the marsh this morning. As I watched it, it kept shaking its head, and I noticed that it had something, I couldn't make out what, hanging from its beak.

Acrobat

I know, this isn't a great photo, but this chickadee just wouldn't cooperate this morning and hold still for me to get a good shot. If you look closely, you'll see that its claws are clasped around a berry - actually a wild cherry (Pin Cherry, I think). I prefer to get photos of birds and animals doing what they normally do, rather than just pretty pictures. That's why I like this shot, even though I, too, wish it were clearer.

Male bonding

The ducks have been fairly quiet on the marsh lately, feeding in the open water and in among the dead trees, or resting on the loafing bars and islands. I've noticed quite a number of the Black Ducks resting on the island where the geese nested, which is where I found them this morning. I see mostly yellow bills, which means that most of these are males, which doesn't surprise me. Apparently male ducks usually group together to moult after the females nest, with the females moulting later, singly or in small groups.

Don't worry, I don't sting

Now I'm seeing flower flies all over the place. Yesterday I noticed several of them hovering over or busily nosing around the blossoms on a clump of knapweed alongside the trail. (In England they are called hover flies, apparently, because of this behavior.) This particular very common flower fly, also a wasp mimic, is of the genus Chrysotoxum, according to my Kaufman insect guide.

Pretty bird

There was a small flock of Cedar Waxwings at the marsh yesterday. They are attracted to the nice assortment of shrubs with ripening berries. This one had paused to do a little preening in a maple tree near the parking area.

Hanging on tight

I was pleased with this shot of an Orange Bluet pond damselfly at the marsh yesterday (not all Bluets are blue, apparently). It's a knack to get a good shot of something so narrow, and it has taken me a while to learn how to do it.

On alert

I had to get close to the water's edge and peer through tall grasses to get this shot of a wary female Wood Duck perched in the dead trees. She heard me moving through the bushes, and jumped into the water soon after I took this shot. Her bright blue wing feathers are evident here; they are not usually seen when in the water. She should be right in the middle of her moulting process, so is likely flightless.

Elusive warbler

Yesterday, if you can believe it, I spent two hours at the marsh (if I were just walking around the trail, not looking at anything, it would take me about 20 minutes). Part of that time was spent waiting for songbirds to stay still long enough for me to get a good shot. There are certainly enough of them around, but they're busy doing their thing and not posing for nosy people with cameras.

I was finally able to get this shot of a young Yellow-rumped Warbler. There were a number of them flitting about in the wooded section of the trail yesterday and today. They don't usually make much of a sound, so it would be easy enough to miss them altogether.

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.