This spring has been a banner one for insects, the marsh being no exception. Clouds of midges greet anyone who walks the trail; bumble bees visit anything that blooms; damselflies dart this way and that in the tall grasses. I saw this strange-looking bug, about 1-1/2 inches long, moving about some tall grasses yesterday. When in flight, its hind legs hang straight down. It finally stopped so I could get a shot. I'm not absolutely sure, but I believe it to be some kind of crane fly.
The yellow warblers are still much in evidence at the marsh - although they seem to be the only warblers around at the moment. This female was flitting about among the gray birches alongside the trail this morning. She may have a nest close by. Fortunately, the yellow warbler is one of the few wood warblers that hasn't experienced significant decline in numbers in recent years.
This is the second time this year I've seen a leopard frog, and the first time I got a decent shot of one. It hopped into the tall grass as I approached, but I was able to get a shot on my macro setting. The sunlight was striking the animal just right to give me a good shot, I thought. Note its toes which look like long fingers.
As I was heading towards the viewing stand by the railbed this morning, I caught sight of one of the black duck families close to shore. I moved quickly to see if I could get a shot of them, and obviously caused them to move just as quickly - away from me! This is the female with the eight young shown in yesterday's posting.
I surprised this little fellow alongside the trail this morning as he was foraging in the grass. He scampered up this gray birch, ate his find, then stared at me for a minute before heading off into the tree canopy. I find the chipmunks to be as curious about me as I am about them.
What a glorious sunny start to the day for a change. The wildlife at the marsh seemed to be enjoying the sun as well, including our resident Canada geese which I met on the trail busily feeding on the fresh grass and clover. When they passed by me, I caught a couple of the older goslings, who are nearly half the size of their parents already.
I walked the trail last evening, and happened on the new black duck family shown at the top, with eight young. Doesn't 'mom' look proud of her flock?? This morning I found a second black duck family, with twelve ducklings, all but one of which are shown in the bottom shot. Their mother was at the right, just out of the frame. The two wood duck families were out and about this morning as well.
I happened to spot this lone cedar waxwing this morning in a large hawthorn tree, feeding on the hawthorn blossom petals (apple blossom petals are a favoured delicacy, apparently). Except for the American goldfinch, they are the latest of the perching birds to begin nesting, the waxwings starting in mid-June.
Continuing with the flowering shrubs at the marsh, there's one that is in full bloom at the moment called Autumn Olive. It is located alongside the rail bed, near the power pole that sits beside the trail. It is a fair-sized clump, about three metres tall. The blossoms are very fragrant. This shrub is not native to North America, but was introduced in the U.S. decades ago, along with its close relative Russian Olive, and used for hedges, wind- and snowbreaks, soil stabilizaion, etc., as well as for landscaping purposes. In some parts of the States it is considered invasive. It produces small reddish berries in the fall, a favorite of certain birds.
