Coming around the corner by the little pool beside the trail this morning I almost missed this little leopard frog (I would have missed it if a friend passing by hadn't noticed it move). You can see how easy it would be to miss it by how well it blends into its surroundings.
I saw the wood duck hen with her brood of 13 again this morning (top shot). Then, way out on the water, I found this new wood duck family - with 10 young (bottom shot).
I stood near the edge of the marsh in the wooded area for a while this morning, watching two male red-winged blackbirds move back and forth from snag to snag, scolding me. I discovered why they were scolding me when I spied this female move into a clump of grass that sits close to the water's edge. I thought there just might be a nest in that clump, and when I got a closer look at the photo I realized, to my delight, there was! The first red-winged blackbird nest I've ever seen.
This morning I watched this robin catch and eat an insect, then this worm, then it dug up another worm and flew off with it, presumably to feed its nestlings. Both sexes feed the first batch of young until the female begins to incubate her second brood, usually in early summer, then dad takes over the job of feeding the fledged young of the first batch.
I came across two new duck families this morning, first the wood duck family at the top - she had thirteen in total. I just recently learned it is not uncommon for two wood duck hens to lay eggs in one nest, giving the impression that one bird has an especially large brood. I have seen wood duck females with as many as 18 young, and this may be the explanation.
The bottom shot is of a black duck family - I think there were ten in her brood. You can see the marked difference between the two families in the way the young behave.
The painted turtles were out in full force this morning, taking advantage of the day's warm sunshine. It's evident that these have been swimming in the duckweed.
I'm pretty sure this is the pair of Canada geese that had five young hatch out recently - however, this morning there were only four. The other pair with the single gosling were feeding on the little round island, while several odd fellows were having a noisy discussion in the water - which these two were keeping an eye on.
Postscript 21 May - Thankfully, I was mistaken in thinking the above family was the one that originally had five young, as this morning I met all three families together: one with five, this one with four, and the third with a single duckling.
This is something you don't see every day, or even once in a lifetime, for that matter. I didn't see it at the marsh, I'll say that up front. Nor is it in town, but that's all I'll say about its location. It's a Great Horned owlet which may have left its nest prematurely. It's been in the same vicinity for over a week now. The adults have been seen a number of times, so they are most likely tending it and will continue to do so until it can fly and then for a few months after that.
Here's a a couple of shots of a bird I saw at the marsh today that personally I've never seen before, that I'm aware of at least. It's a White-crowned sparrow. Apparently they are uncommon transients, especially on their spring migration. These likely are on the way to their breeding grounds in Quebec or possibly northern Newfoundland. It's always exciting to see something new at the marsh. That's the beauty of the place, you never know from one day to the next what you might discover.
Two of the Canada geese pairs have hatched their broods since the last time I posted. The pair with five goslings is the pair that were nesting on the round green island. I never did see where the other pair - with the single babe - nested. They may be younger birds, as the younger ones are more apt to have fewer offspring.
