Sunday, April 22, 2012

Big Happenings At The Vermilon River. A post To MWT and WBW.

I promised myself to limit these posts, but they continue to grow like some out of control monster, despite my best intentions. Today, I'm starting out with a little scenery to show you where we are and to show you a fast weather change, which you'll see shortly.  REMEMBER CLICK ANY PHOTO TO ENLARGE AND SEE THE SLIDE SHOW.
We're all over the River today. As you can see the weather is sunny, and if not warm, getting to be that way.Boom is my indicator of temperature and the sun is warm enough now, that he's just too hot to hike anymore this year until fall, although he's OK very early in the morning.
 All the scenes so far have been in the upper River area. Now we're into the big wetland.
This is the opposite side of the big wetland. I've never shown it so far, as its too hard to make look interesting. But there are wide open areas in those cat tails, and they can be loaded with aquatic wildlife.
 This is the wetland on the west side of the River. And some of the shots were taken there.
 I had mentioned earlier that the wood ducks were really being unkind to us, as they would not stay still. By the way, we're in the big wetland for this series.
Wood Duck In Flight.

 But for some reason they decided to pose for me.
Wood Ducks

They're really colourful and are dressed in their resplendent no worries, breeding plumage.
The flock is a fair size.
 The Bufflehead were on the opposite side of the big wetland, and refused to come any closer. The male is black and white.
Female Bufflehead.

Male and Female.

 The Grackles were all photographed in the River wetland. As I remarked before birds of a feather do flock together, and the Red-winged Blackbirds and the Rusty, which is a rare Blackbird, were photographed in this area. I call this tree the Grackle Tree.
Common Grackle.

Rusty Blackbird.

Rusty Blackbird.

Rusty Blackbird.

 I included the Red-winged Blackbirds because they 're displaying their epalettes in full colours.


 This was a true find as its a Red Breasted Nuthatch. Up until now, I've only seen the White Breasted variety. This bird was in the Black Spruce stand where I have a great deal of luck, but where its so hard to take photos, as its dark and damp. The birds don't stay still long enough to make a change in settings possible.
In Flight.

Top Side.

 This one, probably the clearest shot, shows the red breast.
I included this shot, taken earlier, to show you the difference in birds. This one is a White Breasted Nuthatch.
 Another real spring find ,as this is the first of the Warblers to appear. He's A Yellow-rumped Warbler.

A Little Jumpy.





The Black-capped Chickadees are with the Warbler because both of them ( all warblers) are necessary to this forest. You probably have noticed that the Birch tree is a main stay of the the Vermilon Forest. One of the insects which feeds on the Birch tree is the Birch Leaf Miner, introduced through Connecticut to North America in 1923. The Warblers along with the Chickadees keep infestations under control naturally. Information courtesy of Glen Blouin, An Eclectic Guide to trees:east of the rockies.



Now to the Sparrows. They're dismissed by some as "little brown jobs" but not by Boom and I. We have numerous species here, and they're a real indicator of spring. This is a Song Sparrow.


Tree Sparrow

This is a Chipping Sparrow. I know you noticed the snow. We had a major storm yesterday which dumped about 20 cm or 10 inches on the area. Its a heavy spring snow and will probably be gone by tomorrow as the temperature is warming. I'll bet this little guy is regretting arriving so soon.
 These are Dark-eyed Juncos, a member of the Sparrow family. They'll stay a short while and push on further north to summer with the my Redpolls and Pine Grosbeaks. All the plumage on these birds is bright and crisp. No worries until the kids come, I guess.



Mourning Dove in the snow. Looks just like Christmas.




HERE'S A TRACKING GAME FOR ALL YOU OUTDOORS PERSONS: I had earlier mentioned that the problem with feeding birds in a wilderness is that you can attract four footed critters. I even showed you a fox at the feeders. I found these tracks outside my door in the snow Sunday morning. Some hints: Animal tracks are hard to tell from dog tracks. There are no human tracks around these tracks. A dog meanders. All these tracks are direct to feeders and then on his way. There are four toes and you can see the claw marks. The claws are long, normally dogs are not, because humans clip them. The tracks are 5 inches long. Boomer's paws are 5 inches long and he weighs between 85 and 90 lbs. I put in a bear's prints for your information, but a bear's prints are wide. Raccoon's here are small, so its not a raccoon, and its not a feline.What's your guess? Answer next week. Tracks courtesy of Parks Canada, and www: Bear Trade Tracks .com

 A Post to MWT @ http://ourworldtuesdaymeme.blogspot.com/ and WBW @ http://pineriverreview.blogspot.com/

60 comments:

  1. Incredibly beautiful pictures you show.
    Have never seen rødvinget blackbirds.
    Nuthatches we have in Denmark.
    I've added me as follows to your fascinating blog.
    Wishing you a good Sunday.
    Hugs Hanne Bente / hbt.finus dk. (My photo blog) - Crazy about everyday life (blog on "the close") an finus.dk

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  2. That was one amazing post. Really enjoyed visiting.

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  3. Just when I thought you were finally into Spring, you get snow... Amazing!
    Love those little Wood ducks, they are so colorful, and the Yellow-rumped Warbler in flight is my favorite! Great shot!

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  4. Oh my!! These are all beautiful photos. I especially love the wood ducks.
    Here's myScenic Sunday!

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  5. oh no! i;m bad at guessing, but intriguing paws indeed ^0^...
    no wonder you can't get a nice post,
    it's because all your fotos are just stunning! ^0^
    esp like how you patiently captured those birds.
    i presume you're using telefoto lens.
    the angles are just perfect! ^-^

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  6. Very nice, I like the Wood Duck In Flight. excellent reflections in the water. Greetings.

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  7. Very nice, I like the Wood Duck In Flight. excellent reflections in the water. Greetings.

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  8. love seeing the yellow-rumped warblers in their breeding finery. we see them in their winter drabs. :)

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  9. Lovely shots, the water is so still and you've got quite the variety of birds.

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    Replies
    1. Your ducks are so colourful. I have a post about Scottish ducks coming up - much more low-key.
      I'm intrigued about the name 'grackle'. A popular children's programme when I was growing up had a bird called 'Graculus' - see http://www.smallfilms.co.uk/noggin/graculus.htm

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  10. Wow! Be careful out there. The wood duck reflections are beautiful as all your birds and the water; it's a wonder you aren't overrun with tourists due to your beautiful posts.

    (I was just thinking that any one or two of your pictures would make a whole post for me; I wouldn't be as confident as you are that I'd get more beautiful pictures on my next walk!). I'm off to go view the slide show -- always an extra pleasure. Thanks as always.

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  11. What incredibly beautiful images, as always! Thank you for sharing.

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  12. Great post and photos.. Recently reconnected with a friend from Lake Penage from the 60's.. thru my blog post about the Lake.. Love your area of the country..

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  13. Wonderful, interesting post as always, Gary! So many delightful birds! And it's great to see you have had some blue skies! Enjoy your week!

    Sylvia

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  14. The wood ducks really did put a show on for you and your camera. I always enjoy all of your shots so I'm glad you posted these. You live in a beautiful place.

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  15. How interesting that you have already seen a yellow-rumped warbler. I just saw my first one yesterday. I guess they are covering a lot of ground fast this year.

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  16. Wonderful shots! The dove at the end of this bird bonanza seems so elegant among the rest. :)

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  17. What a great collection of feathered friends! The wetlands must truly be amazing. Love the animal tracks!

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  18. Amazing photos. The wood ducks are my favorite. I would really love to see your world in person. I would never put my camera down!

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  19. Your environment looks like a fairy-tale seen from here. Much enjoyed. Thank you for your effort and these great images. Please have a good Tuesday.

    daily athens photo

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  20. Beautiful! Beautiful! photos! I love the ducks in flight. I love them all! and the snow. . .burrrr! It's cold here too! 31 this morning!!! Don't laugh we live in the South. We aren't use to being cold. I have know idea what kind of animal track that could be. A BIG wolf maybe??? Yicks!!!

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  21. I love the sequence of the Yellow-rumped Warbler

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  22. You capture so much colour with the bird life - loving those ducks. And "snap" with the Red winged Blackbird this week!!

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  23. Wow...you really have a great birding day! Such a lot of beautiful birds to see. I love the Wood Ducks. I seldom see one of those. And the warbler!

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  24. You take such wonderful captures that I forget to read what you write. Greeting card stuffs all.

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  25. Great series, Gary, especially those images of the wood ducks in fight.

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  26. So many beautiful shots! Love those wood ducks reflected in the water.

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  27. Such impressive pictures of the birds--excellent photography. Always interesting to see the wildlife pics you post. Once again, what a great place to live. Mickie ;)

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  28. encore une tres belle serie animaliere, tes photos d'oiseaux sont magnifiques

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  29. Gary these are all great, love those beautiful scenes, and oh those Yellow-rumped Warbler photos are marvelous~

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  30. Gary,beautiful scenic shots and love the colourful wood duck shots.Specially the flight one.I also enjoyed seeing the Red winged Blackbird.

    Have a great evening!!!
    Shantana

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  31. Wow!!! Some incredible shots!!!

    I'm going to take a guess at the tracks...some kind of fox???

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  32. Great series of pictures Gary and it must be exciting to see Yellow rumped back so far north. I reckon your tracks can only be a wolf, unless you have cats up there - cougar?

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    Replies
    1. We have Bobcats, Lynx, and Eastern Cougars. But the track is not a cat as the claws are showing. On a cat they'be retracted when walking. Now your other guess...?

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  33. Great post, love your beautiful shots!
    What a beautiful area. Love the Wood Ducks and I especially love the stunning shot of him flying.
    I have no idea about the tracks, guess I have to wait until next week for the answer.
    Thanks for sharing.
    Mette

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  34. Again - a very interesting post. You have so many birds to show now the seasons are changing. Great photos.

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  35. Beautiful photos! I really like the wood ducks and the buffleheads!! Never seen them before :)

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  36. Wonderful wood duck photos. They have such unique colouring. - Margy

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  37. Enjoyed the scenery and the usual array of your wonderful wildlife but that seventh shot of the duck is tops for me today. The color is even vivid in the reflection.
    Lovely series Gary!

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  38. Fascinating post, as usual. Those Wood Ducks are so colorful. It was nice that they posed for you this time. As for the tracks - could it be a badger?

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    Replies
    1. Badgers are mainly western animals, what we call our Prairie Provinces. Also their print is much more compact than this one.Nice try!!

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  39. That is a paradise for those wonderful birds. A fine spot for bird watching, I'm sure! Splendid images!

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  40. Great serie, beautiful captured!
    Happy WBW to you!

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  41. What a lovely photo journal of wildlife. I've enjoyed myself here a long time.
    Beautiful dog.
    I was so impressed by Wood Duck male,
    And the scenes where the surroundings are mirrored in the calm water.

    Thanks for sharing

    Regards from Norway

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  42. Hi there - great set of picture and I like the mystery paw, which I can offer zero help about!

    I'm not sure I have such a good vocabulary really, but I do have some good books! I also have a mind that goes "I wonder" more often than most. That’s how I found out about the Pelicans name.

    Stewart M - Melbourne

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  43. Now you have my curiosity up! I want to know what that track is! Guess I will just have to wait...I so enjoyed your photographic log of the birds - I am learning so much through these WBW posts!

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  44. What a beautiful place. I love your bird photos too. You took good pictures.

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  45. Wonderful walk Gary!
    Sunny one day-ten inches the next...what a volatile season!

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  46. I tried to comment on your current post but it wouldn't go through. You have so many birds visiting this early in spring. So many more than we do at higher altitude.

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  47. What a wonderful group of shots. You are gifted. Well done. Great research, too.I have so much trouble figuring out my critters. cheers.

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  48. An incredible post Gary! It is truly an impressive group of birds you have this week. I really like the Wood Duck in flight shots, they are pretty tough to get! I am also really glad to hear that there are still some Rusty Blackbirds up there! Awesome photos!

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