A Quick Lap

With a trip coming up in the near future I was anxious for the rain to stop falling so I could sneak in a quick visit to Great Meadows. So it was a quiet Wednesday morning that found me at the refuge. The refuge was pretty quiet as both the people and animals started to recover from a couple days of battering rain. All this rain certainly hasn't helped F&WS efforts to drain down the upper impoundment to kill the lotus.

Black-capped Chickadee flew right up to me on a tree near the kiosk


This pair of sparrows must have a nest near the end of the cross dike trail


They can be seen collecting bugs


The gosslings are getting large


A Baltimore Oriole near the lower impoundment outflow


Landing above my head for a brief moment


Thanks to Alan's identification of the song we determined this was a Red-eyed Vireo


I hope their chicks don't hatch before I return


If you come often enough you see the dark side of nature too. This one didn't make it.


Too bad I wasn't paying attention. I stumbled upon the Wood ducks in the area of open water near the cross dike & upper impoundment. They were in the open for about 2 secs before they saw me and retreated into the reeds.


I have mixed feelings about the invasive yellow iris. I thought it looked interesting as it was almost ready to open.


Walking along the railroad bed I heard something rustling in the gravel


It only took me about 50 photos to get the one I could see in my mind's eye.