Flooded path

I had thought that today would be the last chance for us to walk across the grasslands….I was wrong…yesterday was the last walk via that route for the next 4 months or so…

water levels rose enough over night to flood the path… now what we will have to do is check the boat launch in the morning…

there is is today… and then walk the long route via the road to get to the park.

obviously, another gray, showery day….the second from the bottom log now over half way submerged.

On the last vestige of gravel bar….a flock of Green Wing Teal with one male Northern Shoveler.  Could hear geese way off in the distance.

spent some time in the area by the viewing platform.  It can’t be said too often that the best way to see birds is to pick a likely spot and then just be quiet and stay still…that is exactly what we did today and were rewarded with seeing the Black Cap Chickadee pair going back to that nesting site (hadn’t seen them for days)…

the bushes were alive with Wilson’s Warblers…there is one there…

an out of focus one there…

the rear end of one there….

Yellow Rump Warblers  as well, most out in the more open areas…the above one being a female…also saw some Ruby Crowned Kinglets and wasn’t quite fast enough on the draw – or at least the camera wasn’t fast enough…to capture a beautiful male Common Yellowthroat that landed on a branch right in front of us, but didn’t stay long before dropping back down into the vegetation….something they are prone to do.

wanted to put this picture of another native plant that is now in flower – the Red Elderberry.  This is another shrub, whose vile tasting (to us) red berries will feed summer birds.

Lastly, I looked for the Spotted Sandpiper my husband saw last night…didn’t see it…

but thought I’d post this file photo of one seen at the log bay on May 17, 2008.  Unlike most of the shorebirds that just pass through, Spotted Sandpipers will stay and nest here.  They are easily identified, not only by their ‘spots’ which they only have during the breeding season, but also by their distinctive ‘bobbing’ movement.