The resident birds of an old mill pond in Maine that we discovered by accident entertained us along with their human neighbor who stopped by nightly as part of his evening ambulation.
A pair of Canada Geese patrolled the shore.
A Gull that seemed to be having fun playing in the water, back and forth near the dam’s edge.
A surprisingly peaceful Canada Goose vs Mallard interaction.
Near Freeport, Maine, May 2016.
Holding still and blending in are two great ways to stay hidden. This frog did both, never moving in the five minutes I watched him.
His skin appeared extremely smooth; if he had lines like the leaves I might not have seen him.
Click photos for larger view.
After a couple of false starts when junior thought this was about getting lunch brought in this adult Little Blue Heron got his offspring to fly.
First we climb to the top.
Then flap and go!
Junior was reluctant to take that last step:
Success!
And touch down, all in less than 30 seconds.
These spiders have webs all along the trails around the Audubon Swamp Garden at Magnolia Plantation. During our visit June 26th there was a lot of mating activity. Look closely in this photo and you will see the much smaller black male on this side of the more colorful female. An exoskeleton she recently shed is stuck in the web just above them.
(Click any photo to enlarge.)
Our guide on the walk says these spiders won’t jump out onto human passers by. I reminded myself of that a few times as we passed under some webs. We’ll return in a few weeks and see how family life is progressing.
In the mean time the pond surfaces were active with dragonflies in a variety of colors scooping up other insects.
Spider lilies didn’t seem to mind the heat with their roots in several inches of water.
A small patch of Bee Balm at the entrance to the Audubon Swamp Garden at Magnolia Plantation attracted this pair of Swallowtails.
They performed an intricate dance that included some rapid vertical maneuvers as well as these side to side moves.
One finally paused for a few moments before zooming away with the partner right behind.
We have moved to South Carolina just in time to see the end of the nesting season at the Magnolia Plantation rookeries. Little Blue Herons feed their young, which are nearly as big as the adults, in an awkward, wing flapping, spectacle.
These Great Egrets were resting quietly in the heat of the day. Their nest doesn’t look like it will hold them in as the alligators patrol in the swamp below.
I heard some jaw snapping but didn’t see this gator get a meal. They are moving much faster than when we visited this area over the winter.
A juvenile Heron watched warily from his perch.
Following a ritual herons around this pond went back and forth fetching nesting materials.
These beaks weren’t made for carrying and much of what he picked up was lost.
Sticks seemed to be the favored material based on reaction back on the nest.
“Let me help you with that.”
Levees are not that common in Connecticut and it looks like it has been quite awhile since any water has climbed the sides of this one in Windham. Mansfield Hollow Lake is formed, or enlarged, behind the levee and the water empties through a dam into the Willimantic Reservoir.
Walk a little over a mile on the levee to come to the “end of the road” where a gate and sheer walls turn the walkers and joggers back the way they came. It’s hard to imagine the circumstances when water would overflow this structure.
Lovely water reflections made up for not seeing any birds on this December afternoon.
After seeing the Bobcat on Sunday the rest of our walk was quiet. Birds were mostly elusive, leaving me wondering if the big cat was watching.
The White-throated Sparrows and Song Sparrows did make an appearance and nature still has plenty to show as November ended.
Click to enlarge images or view slideshow.
Just as we were getting out of the car at Gillette Castle State Park this Yellow-bellied Sapsucker darted in and out of the trees at the edge of the walkway.
We stopped at the park to catch the sunset which ended up being a non-event, photographically speaking.
