Tucked up tight

I found a number of the Black Ducks resting out of the wind on cattail clumps, including this Black Duck with head well tucked into its feathers.

A little worse for wear

I couldn't wait until it stopped raining this afternoon, so I could go check to see how the birds had fared through the worst of the storm. I saw very few ducks on the water, except for a flock of about 25 Ring-necked Ducks way out on the marsh. I did find six Wood Ducks in their usual spots, including this one, but the rest must have been well hidden. This male appears a little bedraggled.

Tiny bundle of energy

Once I moved into the wooded section of the trail this morning, it was evident there were a number of chickadees present. Their varied songs were coming from all angles. This little fellow was vocalizing when I caught it on a limb. I have to say they are my favorite of the songbirds with their cheery, friendly nature.

Junior bird

I was luckier with this juvenile Yellow-rumped Warbler in a Scots pine tree this morning. It held still long enough for me to push the shutter button.

Hyperactive birds

I was chasing (with my camera) this Yellow-rumped Warber around a black cherry tree this morning. The shot at the top shows what often happens to me when I try to capture these and other songbirds - by the time I get them in focus and before I can take the shot, they have moved. It was sitting on that branch at the bottom when I focused the shot. Even in the bottom shot, I think the bird was thinking about moving . . .

Beat the heat

The birds weren't acting any differently this morning, or at least to my eyes, despite the fact that by that time tomorrow we're supposed to be in the midst of a category one hurricane. These two cormorants were poised on a dock at the sailing school, where I have seen them all week. The school is now closed for the season, so they have the place to themselves. One of them had its beak open the whole time I was watching them. I wondered if it wasn't panting in the heat and humidity like a dog would. Certainly its dark feathers absorb the heat. Notice that the bird on the left seems to be using its tail as a prop.

Getting spruced up

These two male Wood Ducks were perched at one of their usual spots in the dead trees in the marsh this morning. The bird at the bottom is a juvenile male, while the top bird is an adult. The adult male looks a little scruffy, as he is still molting into his winter plumage, but you can now see the beginnings of his 'helmet' and his colors are brighter (he stretched out his neck when he heard me in the bushes). The Wood Ducks should be around for a while yet. It was late October before they left the marsh last year.

Soon to leave

There are still a number of songbirds around the marsh, although their numbers will gradually decrease as the days go by. I do wonder what effect the approaching hurricane will have on the birds. Apparently birds are sensitive to changes in atmospheric pressure, which enables them to sense when a storm is coming. They then try to fly out of the storm's path or seek shelter.

I was able to catch this young Yellow Warbler (at least I'm pretty sure that's what it is) in a gray birch this morning. These warblers winter in the Bahamas, Mexico and South America, so this bird has a long flight coming up.

Sucking it up

These four Blue-winged Teal juveniles were part of a group of ten I saw scooping up the duckweed at one corner of the marsh this morning. The wind had blown the duckweed into the corner so it was as thick as a blanket. You can see the odd white feather caught in the duckweed, from all the molting going on.

Not a pretty sight

This is the scene that met me when I entered the trail this morning (looking back toward the entrance). I could not believe my eyes, and I got more upset the farther I went. The vegetation had been cut back from the path a good five feet on either side, in some places including saplings. It seemed so ironic since I had just commented in this blog on the abundance of life in the vegetation at the sides of the trail.

After seeing this destruction of habitat, I couldn't drum up the enthusiasm to look for wildlife to photograph - except for a young cormorant (what else!), and a group of young Blue-winged Teals.