More black ducks. I could hear a duck commotion as I was walking the trail this morning, and when I came to the spot, I saw a group of 16 black ducks (ten shown here), apparently all drakes, milling about, swimming a few feet in one direction, turning and swimming a few feet in the opposite direction, back and forth, back and forth - why they were doing what they were doing is a puzzle to me!
These are the same two black ducks I spotlighted on the 21st - at least I presume they are the same two since they were at the same spot. I discovered they are not a pair, but two drakes, given they both have yellow bills. That probably means their mates are already nesting somewhere, since apparently black ducks begin nesting shortly after arrival. These two were busy preening when I saw them this morning. I wanted to include this shot since both are showing a distinctive feature of the black duck, their purple speculums, or upper wing patches.
The marsh rang with birdsong this morning, particularly from the song sparrows and the red-winged blackbirds. The tips of many of the trees sported one or the other of the songsters. I caught this male red-wing atop a spruce tree just as he uttered his distinctive call.
The American Black Ducks are the most numerous of the dabbling ducks at the marsh. Since they are so common, they can easily be taken for granted, so I thought I'd give them a little exposure (pun intended). There's at least one thing that makes this duck stand out - its the 'quack' of the hen of this species that has become the standard sound of a duck. Not all ducks quack! Even the male black duck just makes a croaking sound.
This pair was resting when I caught them this morning, although the drake (yellow bill) lifted his head as I approached.
Yesterday at the marsh, the last day of winter (phew!), I saw my first robin of the season. It was hopping along the side of the trail, cocking its head as if listening for worms in the soil. Apparently they don't hunt by listening, but by sight. Since their eyes are on the sides of their heads, they tilt them and use one eye to look for worm castings in the grass, or the tunnels made by the worms.
A bit off-topic, but something that doesn't occur every day. This evening CTV news suggested that people take photos of the 'supermoon' and submit them to the station. Apparently tonight's full moon is the closest the moon has come to the earth in 18 years. So I thought I'd give it a try...
I've been watching the muskrat lodges at the marsh for signs of activity, and this morning I was finally rewarded. This fellow was enjoying a mid-morning snack of its favourite food - cattails - in the marshy area on the town side of the railway bed. It then moved to another spot, scratched an itch, and then - appeared to stand on its head! I couldn't figure out what it was doing, and then it came to me. These are 'musk-rats'. They have two musk glands at the base of their tails, and especially during breeding season, the males spray the musk to mark their territories. Now, how many people have seen a muskrat mark its territory?? Not many, I'll wager.
I told one of my faithful followers just recently that one reason why I continue with this blog is the feeling of anticipation of what I might see at the marsh. Well, today was a prime example of what I meant.
What I noticed first when I entered the trail was that the ice was completely gone. The warm temps of the last two days did it in. I was walking along, watching all the buffleheads out on the water, when I caught a movement just ahead of me on the side of the trail near the water. "Good," I thought to myself, "my first sighting of a muskrat for 2011." Well, it wasn't a muskrat as you can see from the above photos. The mink slipped into the water then swam toward the shore again, came out about three metres from me, moved along the edge past me, poking its head into holes, occasionally stopping to look at me, then retraced its steps and disappeared down a hole leaving its tail sticking out. Its appearance - and disappearance - may explain all the holes I have noticed along this stretch of trail, which I had attributed to muskrats. Although the mink could have taken over a muskrat's den, which often happens. One thing I have to get used to - they are primarily carnivorous, which means, although fish are at the top of their menu, it also includes waterfowl and muskrats.
I encountered probably the same flock of Common Redpolls feeding under the gray birches at the marsh this morning. The seeds from the birch catkins are a favourite of the redpolls, and by late winter they have all fallen to the ground. These tiny birds are never still and are easily startled, so getting a shot of one is a challenge. I don't expect to see them around much longer, as their breeding range is in Newfoundland and the far north.
This song sparrow was singing its heart out in a multiflower rose bush at the marsh yesterday. A welcome sound after a long winter. I saw a number of them foraging on the ground as well.
