Bird Bath and Other Bird Updates (video)

Bird Bath
Marsh Wren Bathing at the Homer Lake Wetland, April 30, 2021

Marsh Wren

In addition to the cute little bird getting cleaned up, the video above includes accompaniment by a green frog, an American toad and some eastern gray tree frogs along with red-winged blackbirds and other birds. I was sitting in the underbrush by this bush growing at the edge of the wetland videoing something else when this little guy arrived intent on getting clean and starring in his own feature film.

American Bittern

There was an American bittern present in the wetland yesterday morning. It was flushed by a couple of birders and took off, but then returned into the cattails at the west edge of the wetland. However, when I approached the wetland hoping to get a look, it flushed again and took off over the surrounding woods. Hopefully it shows up again -- for me and the several birders who showed up while I was still there hoping also to get a look.

Sora

My post of April 12th included a photo of a sora wading through the wetland near the edge of the cattails. I had seen it also on the 3rd of April and was recently wondering if it or others might still be around. Yesterday was the first I heard one call at the wetland. I heard one "whinnying" twice from within the cattails so one is either still around or another is passing through.

Solitary Sandpiper

On approaching the "point" (the little piece of mowed grass that juts into the wetland directly in front of the parking area there) on Tuesday 4/27, I was surprised by a bird I thought was somewhat unusual looking flying up from beyond the cattails, circling low over the pond and then going back into the cattails. I made mental notes to try to figure out what it was and then went to see if I might get some photos from a distance beyond the cattails. As I went that way, however, it changed places with me and flew out to the point where I was able to get a couple photos confirming that it was a solitary sandpiper. The sandpiper was back again yesterday as well, hunting the shallow areas beyond the cattails and still solitary.

Solitary Sandpiper Wading at the Wetland, April 30, 2021


Bluebird... and its Lunch

There is a bluebird nest box between the parking area and the wetland, complete with bluebirds. In addition to their beauty and their comeback story, it's interesting when the opportunity arises to see what they're eating or feeding to their young. I got the photo below yesterday when one of them arrived at the nest box with carryouts. As a dragonfly aficionado, I'm always interested in catching all aspects of their lives... and deaths. This was not a dragonfly, but that is my particular interest in watching what the bluebirds are eating.

While I know that the bluebird's lunch is not a dragonfly or damselfly, I'm not quite able to figure out what in fact it is. Click the photo to view larger. It has dark, translucent wings reminding me of some types of wasps, but also long antennae and a longish, fat abdomen, shiny green on the top and tan on the sides. Please share any hunches on what it might be in the comments section below. I don't think lunch came from the wetland itself this time. The bluebird flew in from the direction of the woods on the west side of the wetland.

Can anyone identify the prey item?  (click the photo to view larger)



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Images of Fall and Farewell!

Image
Here are five images of the wetland captured today (11/11/21). The Fall beauty of the wetland speaks for itself.  I hope you enjoy the Fall Photos! Most of the plants and animals are transitioning to a season of rest, and I am as well. Between March 1 and September 30th this year I spent over 200 hours at the wetland and many more hours working on my photos, videos and blog posts. I've enjoyed just about every minute of it and have learned a lot, but it's time for a change. My hope is that this blog has incited curiosity and stirred up wonder for all who've read some of the posts. And of course the blog will remain as a resource for all who are interested in exploring more of the wonders of the wetland. Spoiler Alert: I've been in discussion with the folks at the Homer Lake Interpretive Center and the current plan is for me to collaborate with them on an interpretive display about the wetland coming probably in April 2023 to be displayed in the Interpretive Cen...
Read more

Fairy Shrimp

Image
Fairy Shrimp from the Homer Lake Wetland Although these creatures look like concept drawings for characters in a yet-to-come Star Wars movie, they are actually small fresh-water crustaceans (think crabs, lobsters and shrimp) that inhabit ephemeral (temporary) ponds. You may rightly wonder how a fully aquatic animal such as the fairy shrimp survives from year to year in ponds that dry up completely most years. It is, after all, the fact that they dry up completely on a regular basis that makes them unsuitable habitat for fish and it is the absence of fish that makes such ponds particularly attractive for many other types of animals such as spring peepers, chorus frogs and the fairy shrimp.  So how do fairy shrimp survive when there is no water?  Female fairy shrimp lay two types of eggs. One type has a thin shell and will hatch the same season that it is laid. The other type has a much tougher outer covering and will not hatch until the pond has dried out and then has wate...
Read more

Nothing Says Fall Like a Blue-Faced Meadowhawk

Image
  Blue-Faced Meadowhawk at the Homer Lake Wetland, September 29, 2021 If you take a walk in the area where the wetland water used to be, you'll see dozens of these guys perched in the vegetation or chasing each other around. These are male blue-faced meadowhawks and they're defending good positions for when the females show up. There is no longer any standing water in the wetland, but several meadowhawk species have the strategy of dropping their eggs in areas they expect there to be water come late Fall or early Spring. In addition to ephemeral pools of water being fishless, already a great advantage for the many species that prefer ephemerals, I think the meadowhawk strategy of dropping eggs in the fall where there is no water may also give them a competitive advantage over other dragonfly species. Meadowhawk species are smallish dragonflies, so jumpstarting the growth of their naiads as soon as there is water in the wetland again and before other dragonflies are around...
Read more