There was ice on the pond this morning, near the edges, thick enough to hold my keys! I took a picture for proof, of course, but it’s not much to look at. I can’t believe I’ve already seen frogs and tadpoles this “spring” swimming under the surface. Happily the sun was nice and bright, the breeze was light, and it soon felt warm enough for the nesting goose to get up, swim across to the lawn, and take a break.

I have noticed many fewer incidents lately of other geese needing to being chased off and a huge uptick in the number of red-winged blackbirds cavorting over the pond and flashing their colorful shoulder patches.

All the usual suspects were on the pond, and I didn’t see any new swimmers this morning, but there were plenty of new avian discoveries hopping about on the ground and in the nearby bushes. New for me were a veery (a type of thrush) and the colorful swamp sparrow pictured below. I also finally saw a mourning dove in the park and a female yellow-bellied sapsucker. Pairs of the sapsuckers and downy woodpeckers have been making quite a show of checking out trees together.

Not to be completely outdone, the mammals keep putting in appearances, like the eastern cottontail I spotted yesterday afternoon hiding in the brambles, of all places, between the park and the Oakleaf Trail. It’s west of Wilson, and so perhaps isn’t personally eating your tulips if you live on the east side.

Still no sign of activity at Chet’s duplex, but the little pied-billed grebe caught and choked down yet another fish nearly as long as its neck. Considering what I see all the other birds making do with, I seriously wonder what he’s doing with all those calories.

I try to keep a collection of the best images fresh on flickr at
https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewdressel/albums/72157713703616688

28°F and snow on the grass! Luckily, even if spring seems to be in retreat, the wildlife is charging full speed ahead. At least the wind has let up and the sun was shining.This morning, the canada geese pair, the pied-billed grebe, some wood ducks, and a slew of mallards were all on the pond, but the mergansers must have been elsewhere.
In the trees were a pairs of flickers, sapsuckers, downy woodpeckers, and red-winged blackbirds galore, all cavorting about.

The new sightings today include a white-breasted nuthatch and this little brown creeper. Nope, the image below is not upside down. He hopped along that branch as if gravity doesn’t even exist. It is mesmerizing for me to watch them go.

Yesterday afternoon I spotted a gull performing a touch-and-go on pond, a phoebe doing aerobatics just over the pond, and a male hooded merganser was back.

In the woods I spotted my first chipmunk of the season. Still no rabbits, though. Anne keeps reporting that she’s seeing them, but they elude me.

I try to arrange the best of the best images in a pleasing order on flickr at
https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewdressel/albums/72157713703616688

Puddles were frozen over and even the moisture in the top 1/2 inch or so of soil was crystalized and crunchy to walk on, but birds gotta eat, find mates, and stake out their territory, so things were about as busy as usual.

No major shake-ups on the pond. The canada geese pair, a few mallards, a few wood ducks, and the little pied-billed grebe, but no teals and no mergansers in sight.

Plenty of robins, cardinals, kinglets, and woodpeckers flitting about and singing their songs, but the duplex was empty again this morning.

The new finds for today are a hermit thrush foraging,

a female american goldfinch posing,

and a ring-billed gull checking out the parking lot.

The new action shots on flickr are a red-winged blackbird belting out his song and the grebe gulping down another fish.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewdressel/albums/72157713703616688

Plenty of trees are blossoming, but no magnolias yet, so I struggle to capture that in an image that doesn’t just look like a tree without leaves.

Nobody new on the pond this morning. The canada geese pair, bachelor mallards, wood duck pairs, red-breasted merganser, and little pied-billed grebe were all there. The hooded merganser and pair of blue-winged teals were nowhere to be seen. There were plenty of birds in the branches and bushes, but it was far too cold for me to sit still long enough to catch one.

After checking in on Chet’s empty duplex, I headed down to the river to try to get out of the wind. I got really close to a belted kingfisher who didn’t notice me until I tried to pull out my camera. Luckily, a mature herring gull and the juvenile he bullied away were too interested in the fish on the opposite bank to pay any attention to me.

But, meh. You’ve seen pictures of seagulls before, so here’s one from yesterday afternoon when both geese were off the nest again and having an extended and animated conversation about something. At least I saw the operation from the start and there was no obvious instigating event. It just seemed that the one on the nest decided it was a good time to take a break. I still couldn’t see eggs in the nest, but I have a hope they are really there and just too low for me to see.

As always, I try to curate the best of my pictures on flickr at
https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewdressel/albums/72157713703616688

Oh yeah! I completely forgot to mention that I spotted the amazing activity pictured below on the lawn sloping down to the pond this morning …

At first, I thought it was just a weird version of those gummy-worm-type fishing lures (pictured below) because I was already bending down to pick up a couple of fish hooks, which seem like bad things for little webbed feet to be walking on, eh?

As soon as I touched “it”, however, “it” sprang to life, separated into two, and each half quickly retracted back into its own hole. I definitely did not have time to get a picture of it, I am truly sad to report, but I did find this spitting image of the one seared into my brain online at https://www.buglife.org.uk/blog/glorious-earthworms/, which also had these fascinating tidbits to report:

“Soil biologists believe that earthworms are the most abundant animal biomass in most terrestrial ecosystems, heavier per hectare than grazing mammals or insects.”
“After their bisexual exchange each Lob worm will lay about five eggs,” but the ones I saw were not necessarily “Lob worms”.

Happy Easter!

No snow, yet, so just a cool, damp, and quiet morning in the park.

The usual suspects were on the pond: the pair of canada geese, the little pied-billed grebe, the red-breasted merganser was back but the hooded merganser was gone. The pair of blue-winged teals and a few wood ducks were still there. The three amigos, the male mallards were there, but there was no sign of the female from yesterday.

Golden-crowned kinglets were flitting around in the bushes, just daring my to try to take their picture, and a yellow-colored warbler sang the song that never ends from the top of a tree against a cloudy grey sky. Also, a small bird of prey with a narrow tail glided way over head.

I had set out as early as I thought there was enough light for my camera in hopes of catching a glimpse of the easter bunny, but couldn’t find a one. Eagle-eye Anne texted me, when I was checking out Chet’s empty duplex, to say she saw some rabbits over on the Oakleaf Trial, which abuts the park, but by the time I got there, they must have eaten their fill.

Instead, the best picture today are of the flora. The bloodroots are just starting to open

And yesterday, when the sun was shining, I spotted the first Trout Lily

As always, I post what seem to be the best of my pictures on flickr at
https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewdressel/albums/72157713703616688

Busy, busy morning on the pond, despite the frost on the grass! Maybe everyone’s trying to fill up and find a good place to wait out the snow forecast for tomorrow.

First up, the new guests. I had heard reports that blue-winged teals had been spotted, but I haven’t had the pleasure myself until this morning.

Also, the male hooded merganser was back, in place of the male red-breasted merganser who’d been around regularly for weeks. Along with the canada geese pair, mallard bachelors (plus a new female with a lot to say), wood duck pairs, and still the little pied-billed grebe, there were over a dozen birds from 6 species on the 1-acre pond this morning!

And that’s not all. The male red-winged blackbird finally posed for a picture, as did a female purple finch, and I spotted and got a not bad picture of a male northern flicker.

He would have looked magnificent if the sun had been out, and man oh man, they are shy.

Meanwhile, over by the river, there was no sign of Chet at his duplex. I just don’t know what’s up with that guy.

As always, I try to curate the best of my pictures on flickr at
https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewdressel/albums/72157713703616688

Despite the cold, it was like “old home week” at the pond this morning with the pair of canada geese, the bachelor mallards, the wood ducks, and the pied-billed grebe. Plus the male red-breasted merganser was back along with one female mallard. A male belted kingfisher stopped by, but went away hungry.

Further into the park, towards the river, I spotted a pair of Eastern phoebe’s demonstrating their flycatching prowess to each other, a golden crowned kinglet, and a pair of american goldfinches feasting on the branch of a tamarack tree just starting to leaf out.

Finally, Chet was back in the lower unit again, but he had no visitors that I saw this morning.

As always, I try to curate the best pictures on flickr at
https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewdressel/albums/72157713703616688

It was a cold and blustery morning at the park, and the canada geese, mallards, wood ducks, and grebe were all going about their usual routine.

With nothing new on the water, and upon the suggestion of new reader Donna Miller, I focused on the bushes and finally managed to catch a couple of still images of the tiny birds flitting around in  there.

The better shot is of a ruby-crowned kinglet:

The worse shot, barely good enough for identification, is of a yellow-rumped warbler, I believe. I expected it to be a golden-crowned kinglet, but note the yellow patches at front of wings as well as the crown.

There was no sign of activity at Chet’s duplex. 🙁

As always, I try to curate the best pictures on flickr at
https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewdressel/albums/72157713703616688

Big day at the park this morning, but nothing too exciting at the pond:

1. It was very foggy and very still.
2. The mergansers appear to have all moved on.
3. The pair of canada geese might still have eggs in the nest after all.
4. The 3 pairs of wood ducks and 3 mallard bachelors are still hanging around.
5. The pied-billed grebe and the belted kingfisher both caught fish this morning.
6. The Narcissus blossoms are finally opening, and the daffodils are right behind them.

The really big news, however, is from further west, along the Milwaukee River, and it is very exciting!

CHET IS BACK AT HIS DUPLEX, AND HE MIGHT HAVE A GIRLFRIEND!

Just as I had nearly given up all hope, I spotted a little head and beak poking out of the lower level.He must have really expanded the inside, because he had receded completely out of sight when SHE SHOWED UP TO LOOK INSIDE!She hung out for a minute or so, and then she flew off. Soon after, he came out to make a couple of calls before also flying off IN THE SAME DIRECTION!That’s all we know at this point, but I will definitely keep you posted as further developments develop further!

Note his full head of red feathers, left and right, and her patch of white feathers on top, in the middle.

As always, I try to curate the best pictures on flickr at
https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewdressel/albums/72157713703616688