Just recently a small flock of Red-winged Blackbirds has been evident at the marsh feeding in the large stand of phragmites (aka elephant grass) alongside the railbed. They seem to disappear in August, but actually that's when they are moulting, so they lay low until their new feathers have grown in. I caught this male clinging to a phragmites stem this morning; I also spotted a female (I think this fellow has a little more moulting to do on his head). Apparently the females migrate first, followed by the males sometime later.
Sightings at the marsh were pretty much as usual both yesterday and today, although this morning I did see a Black & White Warbler I tried to get a shot of with no luck. I have noticed since Saturday afternoon, a large group of Ring-necked Ducks way out on the water. They should be around for another month or so before departing for their wintering grounds in the southern U.S.
When I walked toward the viewing stand this morning, I startled another young Leopard Frog, but also was pleasantly surprised by a young muskrat running across in front of me. It stopped at the side to watch me, and I was able to get in several shots before it ambled off into the water. (I have learned that as curious as I am about the birds and animals I observe, many of them, although wary, also seem to be curious about me.) This fellow's coat seemed to be grayer than other muskrats I have seen, and the first I've seen with white around its mouth.
This cormorant was sitting fairly close to the shore this morning, so I stood and watched it for some minutes, to see how it reacted to its surroundings. It was definitely aware of what was happening around it, as was to be expected, but I don't know why it pointed its beak skyward (top photo - looks like it was imitating a bittern!); nor why it stretched its neck out like it did in the bottom photo. Like I say, these are amusing birds to watch.
I saw several of Yellow-rumped Warblers and a couple of Yellow Warblers, plus a number of Chickadees, including this little guy, this morning.
Also poised on one long leg was this Yellowlegs (Greater or Lesser I'm not sure), one of three I saw by the stream this morning. These birds are present wherever there is low ground or shallow water at the marsh.
Today activity was back to normal at the marsh, with lots of wildlife sightings. This Great Blue Heron was standing in the cormorants' usual spot on the dock at the sailing school. There was one cormorant on the dock, with its back to the heron!
Not a whole lot of activity at the marsh this morning, except for the cormorants out feeding. I did see a small group of Northern Shovelers, however, including these three, swimming among the dead trees. It has been a while since I've noticed them, so I was happy to see them today. They should be heading south sometime within the next month.
Except for the Ring-necked Ducks, the cormorants were the only birds that didn't seem to be fazed by today's rough weather. I saw some feeding, and groups of them perched in their usual spots, including these four. The smaller, lighter-colored one second from left is definitely a juvenile bird, possibly one of this year's. The body language of their different postures is another thing that attracts me to these birds. They always bring a smile to my face.
Also among the cattails were this female Green-winged Teal (left) and male Black Duck. Seen side by side, it's evident how much larger the Black Ducks are than the teals.
