A Hike to the Wetlands of the East Track Of The Vermilon River. A Post to My World Tuesday.



South Wetland showing Tundra




South Wetland















We're right at the east track, but we're not going to hike it; instead we'll stick to the wetlands, the north and the south one, although they're really the same body of water except the track bisects them and makes to all intents and purposes two separate wetlands. We're not going to get too far without our crow of course. These pair of Robins were hanging around on the fringe of the wetlands.


Our Crow




Robin




Robin




 Sparrow




Savannah Sparrow




Savannah Sparrow




Savannah sparrows are not as common here probably because it is not farm country with its open areas, so I count myself lucky to get these photos.


Song Sparrow




White-throated Sparrow



White-throated sparrow are in fact more common that the Savannah's. This little guy is showing off his distinctive yellow head marking and white throat really well. The stunted brush along side the wetlands makes great shelter for the song sparrows as well.



Song Sparrow




Black-capped Chickadee







We've moved up the trail and picked up a couple of chickadees, and a common grackle whose colour scheme is pretty impressive.


Common Grackle




Black-capped Chickadee




Female Wood Duck?




Female Wood Duck?





This duck flew overhead and I thought at first it was a merganser of some sort, but if you look closely it has prominent white markings around its eyes, which make me think it's a female Wood Duck.

Pussy Willows



Seeds??



I really liked the pussy willows which are now showing in large numbers and then I saw the tufts of something or other on a tree and thought they looked equally interesting.

A Hike Along the East Track Of The Vermilon River. A Post to Sky Watch Friday.

The Actual East Track



The East Track Without  Rails.

This is the East Track Wetland, another unused RR line perfect for hiking.


The SE Wetland




More SE Appears like A Tundra Forest

 It's still pretty frozen although becoming more active with wildlife.The SE area is large and watery more what you would associate with a wetland. Further east the area becomes much more like a tundra forest, and now is quite boggy.

The boggy area is of course homeland to the Red Winged black birds. The Sparrows, favourites of mine, live on the entrance area and will sing Boom & I into the bush.


Song Sparrow




Red Winged Blackbird.



Geese climbing the Ice.

The Geese are horsing around on the ice in between open areas and are entertaining as anything.

Still Fumbling on the Ice.



Spring Pussy Willows.




Killdeer













Spring pussy willows are starting to grow in the sunny areas. Killdeers are back and appear to be starting to nest in the areas along the shore of the wetlands. I'll keep this post up as I saw lots of interesting things and wonderful sights. The north wetland is still frozen. A Post To Sky Watch Friday @ http://skyley.bolgspot.com/

Just a note: The earlier hikes were to the abandoned track to the west of the river itself and to Mystic Lake and the lakes beyond. This area is at the base of  the Mystic Lake Trail. I'll be using this area for a while as three things happen here in the spring. The snow only disappears in fits and starts. In fact we had snow here this morning. Boomer begins his fur shed in a big way, and the Dept. Of Natural Resources announces the Black bear warnings as they're coming out of hibernation and are cranky. The elevated rail lines allow us to watch for other mammals.Remember it's a wilderness and Boom And I are also part of the food chain.