A lucky find

Again, there were not many land birds evident around the marsh this morning, but I did get lucky and spot three White-throated Sparrows in a chokecherry tree. This one held still long enough for me to snap this picture. White-throats may remain into November; some may even winter over.

Hanging in there

Today the wind was back with a vengeance, and the temperature had plummeted. Although there were many ducks on the water - including these two male Northern Shovelers - for the first time, I saw no cormorants or wood ducks. As birds often move at night when they migrate, and the arrival of a cold front can prompt migration, it could be that they have left the marsh for the year.

Down the hatch

The robins were still much in evidence at the marsh this afternoon. I caught this one feeding on hawthorn berries (or haws) - first, with a berry in its beak - then with the berry in its throat!

Eating on the go

I saw more muskrats this afternoon at the marsh than I have over the last two months, I think. I counted seven before I was done. This fellow interrupted his swim to nibble on a piece of vegetation.

Rare visitor

This is another first for me. While scanning the marsh from the viewing stand this afternoon, I spotted two male Redhead ducks way out on the water, continually diving for food. These ducks are natives of the prairie provinces, and are rare for our area. Their primary wintering grounds are off the Gulf coast in the U.S., but apparently some winter off the Atlantic coast, which may account for their presence here.

This isn't a very clear shot since the duck was far out on the water, but I think its features are evident.

More smart dressers

When I made my way through the woods to get a look at the wood ducks on their usual perches (there were at least a dozen that I could see), I spotted these two male Hooded Mergansers in the same location. They are now in full winter plumage. There have been Hooded Mergansers on the marsh in the past, but these are the first I've seen this year.

Shades of summer

I finally got to the the marsh with my camera this afternoon, the first time in four days, what with the rainy weather we've been experiencing. Not a whole lot has changed, except there was a decided absence of land birds, other than the blue jays. I was a little surprised to see this bumble bee gathering nectar from a New England Aster blossom. I'm sure the unseasonably warm temperatures of the last few days may have something to do with the reason this bee was still active.

A common feeder bird

Today was mostly a duck day, sightings-wise, but I did catch a White-breasted Nuthatch scouting for tasty tidbits on this Scots pine tree this morning. I was alerted to him by his distinctive call, a nasal "yank, yank, yank." A pair are frequent visitors at my backyard feeders.

Iconic duck

When most people think of a wild duck, the Mallard is probably the first to come to mind. The marsh has supported a fair-sized population of mallards all season. Lately they have been feeding at the upper end of the marsh among the cattails, where the water is shallower and there is shelter from the wind. This morning there were about 25 of them there. This shot is of two Mallard pairs, plus a black duck, far left rear.

Newcomers to the marsh

This morning the waters at the marsh were alive with ducks, more I think than I have ever seen. There is a huge flock of primarily Ring-necked and Bufflehead Ducks there now. But when I was scanning the waters with my binoculars, I was excited to see a group of ten ducks that I hadn't seen before - with tails standing almost straight up in the air! I thought they had to be Ruddy Ducks, and when I enlarged the shots, sure enough, that's what they were. This time of year the male's body is mainly brown rather than the ruddy one we associate with this duck (see posting of June 11th) . The shot is of four ruddies plus a female bufflehead, front left.