Sunday, July 8, 2012

Workers, Hunters,Clowns,Posers,And Singers of the East Track Beaver Pond Of The Vermilon River. A Post To MWT, and WBW.


Initially, this was to be a follow up post to the previous one. But the weather has been so good that I elected to hike both the west side of the River, and the east track beaver pond on consecutive days. The only photos from the west side are the Flicker series. This is a large beaver pond supporting two lodges. Beaver ponds support wildlife, much of which is endangered, while purifying and conserving water. Just in passing,the River water levels are low; in fact as low as I have ever seen them this time of year.

I HAVE SET THE POST UP FOR THE SLIDE SHOW, SO CLICK TO ENLARGE AND TO ACTIVATE THE SLIDESHOW.


Beaver Pond

Beaver Pond.

One Of The Beaver Lodges.

The Second Lodge.

Beaver Having Lunch- The Worker.

On the way, I was fortunate to see, and photograph  this Female Northern Harrier. She is member of the "faliconformes", and she was in full hunting form circling the wetland, crying out what sounds to me like" kr-ie, kr-ie",which reverberated across the open space. It's a spectacular sight. In keeping with the theme, this is, of course, the Hunter.
Thanks to NWO  Birds for ID help.





Thanks to Ken Schneider for ID help on the Eastern Kingbird series of photos.There were a pair of them and they entertained me to no end with their  aerobatics, and general carry on.  They are the Clowns, and this pair at least  loved to be photographed, as you can see from the following series.








Usually the Cedar Waxwings are the Clowns, but today they're the posers. You're certainly not going to get a much more attractive bird than the Cedar Waxwing.

Northern Flickers are ground woodpeckers feeding on ants, although I seem to be seeing them in the trees more than on the ground. This male is one of the posers also.


These photos are of female Red-Winged Blackbirds, helping the male below to guard the territory. So they're workers. Although the one below seemed more interested in what I was doing than guarding.

Male Red-winged Blackbird.

Yes, the pond is a noisey place.
Some shots of a juvenile song sparrow.

Adult song sparrow- the Singer.
Sunning Painted Turtle.

Close Up Dragonfly.


Chalk Front Corporal

Grasshopper

Gray Comma or Question Mark?

Choke Cherries.

Fireweed (pink) and Dogbane on the Pond Bank

Wild Chicory.

Wood Lily

Canada Goldenrod.

Wild Raspberry.

Ripening Berries

Water Lily

This fellow, a chipmunk, is a worker. He's a ground squirrel, and a true hibernator, so he's putting away food now. The Goldfinch below are posers, of course.
 It was quite a hike wasn't it? It's just unfortunate that some of you couldn't be there. We might have even gone further.

A post to MWT,and WBW.

I include the insects and flora to give you an impression of the nature's bounty in a wilderness forest, and to emphasize the interrelation, because I think that too much of nature is being served up in a theme park format. I was startled to read recently in an email from the Forest Trust of the UK, that only 9 percent of the UK  is forest covered, while 44 percent of Europe(no definition of countries included in Europe) is covered. There was no definition of the term forested, but if you make the definition, wilderness forest, the numbers will decline overall. Try that in North America, then separate the results  into Canada and the US, and see how the numbers work.It's a scary proposition, because the results will not be good.
Male And Female Goldfinch.

See The Grub He's Holding.

68 comments:

  1. Great series of shots from your hike, Gary. Loved the Beaver and Gray Jay pictures, in particular.

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  2. Brilliant images, I love the Northern Harrier, really great.

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  3. a great cast of characters up and down your river. that young sparrow was precious! love the beavers, too.

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  4. This is a fascinating post of the beauty of wildlife ~ Fantastic photos ~ thanks for sharing and I am sorry to hear about the percentage of Wild Life Forests being so low ~ not surprising as Humans are being very self centered ~ ah ~ enjoy today ^_^

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  5. Beautiful images of a spectacular place and its inhabitants!

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  6. Is that why they call the airplane a Harrier? Because it can hover in one place like the hawk? - Margy

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    1. Maybe. This Harrier hunts in long slow circles,but when prey is seen they are capable of extremely fast drops to attack the prey. So I guess you're right.

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    2. I pursued the question further. Apparently falcons are hawks but a sub species or different genus. They are smaller and faster than a hawk. Therefore, they hunt differently. Falcons are mid air hunters, while hawks are ground hunters(all by in large part). Falcons grasp with their talons, but kill with their beak which is notched.Hawks kill with their talons or feet. Falcons will dive in excess of 200 miles per hour. So again yes to the name of the jet. This harrier was looping slowly, but could drop on seeing prey pretty quickly and achieve great speeds to capture the prey.

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  7. Did you ever hit the jackpot, again!
    Wonderful critters!
    Could your Comma be a Question Mark?!

    Greetings from Cottage Country!

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    1. Could be; but this time I can't find the question mark, so in the post I made it either or-the indescisive way.

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  8. Beautiful shots! Love the reflection of that beautiful sky. Have a great week:)

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  9. Great shots! Love the birds...Christine

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  10. A great group of shots! Love that beaver and chipmunk.

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  11. Great job with the kingbirds, Gary,and rest of the photos are fantastic too!

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  12. You do have a beautiful world, Gary, from wonderful watery places, to such a variety of birds, critters, little ones and gorgeous, colorful flowers! Thanks as always for sharing with us! Have a great week!

    Sylvia

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  13. It is so sad to me that so much of the forestland has been depleted. Your photographs are always such a joy. The beaver and northern harriers were my favorites in this sequence.

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  14. You've got some great shots of the northern harrier. I also love the beaver. I never get tired of seeing the good ole beaver, lol. Your scenic photos look so nice, cool and peaceful.

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  15. Hmm, am having a lot of trouble trying to leave you a comment. I was trying to say I really love your photos of the beaver. I never get tired of this ole creature. LOL. I also love the northern harrier shots and your scenic shots are so nice, peaceful and cool looking.

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  16. Your slideshow is fantastic ! Love the Northern Harrier shots & the pond reflections!

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  17. I love the beaver pond and lodge, I need to get up to an area on the other side of Pikes Peak where they live.

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  18. One can only be grateful for your effort and these wonderful impressions of your environment. Never seen a beaver so far. One of the greatest gifts, in my opinion, must be to be a bird around there.
    Please have a wonderful Tuesday.

    daily athens photo

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  19. Wonderful photos. I really like them all. I think today I will highlight those beautiful landscapes of the forest with delightful reflections on the river. Greetings.

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  20. great collection of photos and it's hard to pick a favourite this round.

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  21. Scenic place with lovely birds.

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  22. I guess I've been identifying them incorrectly. i thought song sparrows had a black bib. All your photos are wonderful, but with the description of the Northern Harrier, I really felt your awe and pleasure. It's really rare for me to be able to photograph a chipmunk. Love the one you got.

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  23. I have never seen an actual beaver lodge except in story books. Beautiful pics, as always, Breathtaking!

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  24. Another delightful walk Garry with so much to see ... I love how you include snippets of nature you encounter along the way.

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  25. Gary, Those fight shots are AMAZING!!!I also loved those Beaver ponds.Have a great week ahead.

    Shantana

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  26. How utterly beautiful!

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  27. amazing captures all!!! delightful!

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  28. Wow! Great captures! My favourite is the one where the beaver is having lunch

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  29. Nice to visit with you. Such stunning photos! I thoroughly enjoyed your post.

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  30. Beavers a great architects ! the bird pictures are as usual excellent !

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  31. Beautiful captures of the gorgeous scenery but most especially of the wildlife. Thanks for the visit.

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  32. Love your photos they are beautiful and the image is clear too.


    Kim,USA

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  33. Wow! You have so many wonderfully beautiful shots here. Great job capturing all of these so artfully.

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  34. Wow! You have so many wonderfully beautiful shots here. Great job capturing all of these so artfully.

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  35. A splendid post, - so lovely to see all these photos!

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  36. Great serie of photos!
    I like it!

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  37. A great set of pictures Gary. The Hen Harrier (that's the more or less same species)pics are special to me because over here they are so persecuted that its impossible to get close to them. Super Kingbird shots too. What a superb part of the world you live in.

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  38. Gary what an incredible variety in this post. Some quality birds especially the Harrier - great shots!

    I like the Wood Lily and Wild Chicory, and a nice shot of the Chipmunk

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  39. Super show! Thanks for sharing you photos!

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  40. Lovely shots, Gary. I especially like the birds in flight.

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  41. beaver and harrier my favourites, and the little ground squirrel too; also a good series you put up Gary from your side of the world, the scenery is magnificent

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  42. You describe and show a very beautiful and diverse world. It would be a great shame if we lost this kind of diversity.

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  43. I would be quite excited to see the northern harrier! Ah, eastern kingbirds seem to follow me wherever I go...but really there are tons of them in Central Ontario. :))

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  44. Wow, what a post! Great shots, can't pick one favorite, they all are!

    Irene

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  45. nice selection of your wilderness. Love the harrier. :)

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  46. A really enjoyable slide show! I love the Harrier shots. She's a beauty.

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  47. The flying harrier looks as if it cast from gold or bronze -- just beautiful. I'm going back to look at the slide show now. Thanks for the wonderful post.

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  48. You got some great shots, Gary! I particularly like the grasshopper...:)

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  49. Thanks for the beaver pond shots. I love beavers, and I respect what they do for our planet just by showing up. They are brilliant. The bird shots are amazing, too. God bless.

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  50. Love the Harrier! Fantastic flight shots! Raptors are my favorite.

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  51. Incredible nice picture series you show, always a pleasure to watch your posts wbw. Wishing you a good day :) Hanne Bente

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  52. I do love all the photos: the birds (so sill, the flowers, the butterfly...LOVELY!


    ...Today it is my 25st weeding anniversary!-...I Praise the LORD...
    We have gone through so much...BUT WE ARE still here...
    His cancer seam to be gone...and he is here with me.We live to each other...laughing...crying...being silly...and being in love...
    I praise the LORD for He is LOVE...and I'm so glad that I can't help spreading the news...
    Have a blessed Day..
    Isabel, aka, BLUEShell

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  53. Your photos are always such a special treat for the eye and reading about each picture entry is a special read.....I like the beaver with his lunch, but the birds are always my favorite. Each and every photo this week was superior.

    Wood Stork

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  54. Beautiful photos as always. My favourite are the bird photos.

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  55. WOW!! Another amazing post with absolutely everything - wonderful reflections, beautiful birds, animals, insects, flowers... delightful!!

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  56. There are many beautiful photos! THey are very beautiful. I enjoyed them very much.

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  57. So many beautiful images, that northern harrier is a real treat. Thanks for sharing.

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  58. beautiful birds, gorgeous reflections!! what a great place!!

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  59. Great and interesting post as always.
    Beautiful photos.
    Thanks for sharing.
    Wish you a great summer.
    Mette

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  60. Gary you find the most wonderful assortment of birds, mammals and insects and flowers! Your blog is a fabulous nature journal.

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  61. Your beaver pond is gorgeous Gary! The Northern Harrier is one of my favorite raptors too with that owl-like resemblance.

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  62. Hi Gary,
    Thanks for visiting my blog. Yours is very interesting and I love all of your pictures. I'm just an amateur, but I love taking wildlife pictures. Now I'm your newest follower, have a wonderful week.
    Laura :0)

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  63. magnifiques photos, une belle ballade dans le monde des oiseaux

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  64. Those falcon flight images are absolutely stunning, great series. The Eastern Kingbird, wow, we have these, and I can hardly ever get close in, remarkable images you captured. Nice shares~

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