A meeting of old friends

Yesterday on my walk I came upon a flock of Common Redpolls feeding on the ground under the gray birch trees. I moved into the trees to try to get a better view but instead scared them off. When I emerged from the trees, what should greet my eyes but the pair of Canada geese from Wednesday's posting, almost right in front of me. (I was pretty sure they were the same ones, as over the years this pair has gotten used to me being near them.) The goose was busy feeding; she has to build up her reserves before nesting.

Much ado about starting anew

What a difference a day makes. This morning large sections of the marsh were free of ice, and ducks were much in evidence, Buffleheads in the water and Black Ducks loafing on the islands. As I neared the first corner, I heard the sounds of geese, and sure enough, two flew in from the river and landed at the upper end. They were certainly making their presence known (especially the gander), and were answered by another pair on one of the long points of land. With much noise and to-do, the newly arrived pair proceeded to swim toward the round island where a pair has nested for several years now, so I assume it was the original pair.

Canada geese are among the first birds of the year to nest, so once again the cycle begins...

Early arrivals

I snapped some shots of the ducks on the sewage lagoon this morning, and was pleased to note, when I zoomed in on a shot, that there was a pair of Wood Ducks among the Buffleheads and Black Ducks. I expect they are newly arrived from their wintering grounds. Woodies usually pair off before migration, with the females returning to their old nesting grounds, followed closely by their new mates.

Three's a crowd

The ice on the marsh was making eerie noises this morning as the warm of the sun struck the surface. Another couple of warm days and most of the ice will be gone. I wasn't seeing much of anything wildlife-wise, so thought I'd check out the sewage lagoon. As I reached the top of the rise I heard a Canada goose honking, and sure enough, there were three of them on the ground opposite.

Hello blackbird

I have marked spring for years by the first sighting of the Red-winged Blackbird. This fellow was right on the mark, time-wise, and I was so glad he held still long enough this morning for me to get a shot for the blog. We'll be seeing a lot of him and his buddies in the days and weeks to come, followed in a few weeks' time by their mates.

Little clowns

I was surprised there were no ducks in the open spots on the marsh this morning, but I know it won't be long before they'll be appearing. I checked the sewage lagoon to see if there were any there, and sure enough, there was a fairly large group of Buffleheads swimming and fluttering about. They are in courtship mode now, so will be displaying their amusing antics.

It's all in the game

Spring is approaching fast at the marsh. The ice is retreating from the shore, and several open spots were visible this morning on my walk. As I neared the entrance to the marsh, I heard a Song Sparrow and a Red-winged Blackbird sounding off - a sure sign spring is just around the corner.

I spied my little friend among the rocks again this morning. He was scrounging in the leaf litter for edibles, and the photo at top shows him ready to eat a nut of some sort. Right after I took the shot, he was startled by something in the woods below, and ran off into one of his holes among the rocks. I climbed down to see if I could find what had scared him, and heard this red squirrel scolding from a tree branch. Probably their territories overlap, and red squirrels are very defensive of their territories during breeding season. While I was below the tumbled rocks, I thought I'd see if I could find the chipmunk's holes, and while searching, this little face popped up. . .

Spring is in the air

Even in winter there's a certain beauty about the marsh. But with the approach of spring comes a sense of things being on the brink of coming to life again. Under the ice in this scene the turtles and frogs are awaiting the warmth of the sun, as are the buds on the gray birches at the left. The muskrats in the lodge at centre left will soon be selecting mates - if they haven't already - to produce the season's new crop. And before we know it, the male red-winged blackbirds will arrive and claim their territories here among the cattails.

A matter of survival

I was checking for squirrel activity around the Scots pines in the wooded section of the trail this morning when I came upon this patch of feathers, I believe from a pheasant, which obviously had become something's dinner.

Signs of spring

Today was my first complete circuit of the marsh since the middle of January. It was really the first time it could be traversed with relative ease, except for the occasional stretches of fairly deep, soft snow. With spring just around the corner, I thought I might find some signs of the approaching season, and I wasn't disappointed. When I got to the section of the trail where a jumble of rocks spread out on one side, I kept my eyes peeled for a little critter that I know lives among them, and to my delight, he appeared. And while I was watching him (her?), what should I hear but one of the quintessential sounds of spring - the honking of Canada geese, flying high in 'v' formation, heading northeast.