Walking in from the parking lot, I started looking at all the frosty plants. But in the end I found these patterns the most interesting. Can you identify what they are?
Give up? They are the mud in the path freezing and taking the shape of the ice crystals.
The first thing I noticed was that a lot of the water in the impoundments was frozen. As a result the geese and the coots were crowded together in the patches of open water.
Coot on ice braking duty
Must be warmer than standing on the ice
Canada Goose comes to evict the Occupy Concord movement
Suddenly, I heard a lot of noise from the far side of the impoundment. Looking over, I noticed many birds rapidly moving across the water. Looking up the cause of their sudden activity was apparent, as a mature Bald Eagle was doing a bit of "fly fishing" or hunting as the case my be. The photos aren't great because of the distance. If I had known there would have been excitement, I would have set up where the reeds wouldn't have been in the shot.
Having struck out the eagle retreated to the trees near the treatment plant. I relocated to a spot where the reeds wouldn't interfere. I waited 40 minutes. The coots came back, but the eagle was content to sit in the tree.
There was a lot of animal activity this morning.
Some of these birds are not like the others. Buffleheads in the midst of the coots.
Finally saw the Belted Kingfisher inside the refuge
The consensus of the experts is that this mystery bird, is just a Goldfinch in nice light.
House Finch
Down by the river there were quite a few bluebirds, flying to and fro. Only on occasion would they stop at the Winterberry bushes. I am still hoping to improve upon last winter's Bluebird images. Today, I was able to capture a few nice portraits.
Male Bluebird
Female Bluebird
The ubiquitous sparrows seemed crowded out of the lime light by the flocks of bluebirds, goldfinches, and downy woodpeckers I encountered. This Song Sparrow posed so nicely I had to include him.
I don't know if this fish (yellow perch or raccoon perch (Perca fluviatilis)) was stranded by the receding water or whether he was caught by the tail. I do know that it wasn't there on Sunday when we walked through the water across the bridge.
I think I have enough photos of Downy Woodpeckers, but walking through the forest, I encountered this one. The colors in the background were so nice, I couldn't pass it up.
