I walked down to the slough a couple of days ago to see what I could see. Maybe I'm really ready for spring if I think that bare trees reflected in brown swamp water are beautiful, but I do. The swamp water is clean, but appears brown due to leaf litter at the bottom of the slough and tannins in the water.
And guess what I saw?? There were 4 or 5 yellow-bellied sliders sunning on a log, and when they saw me they quickly slid into the water. A pair of wood ducks who had been resting or feeding near the bank of the slough ventured out a little ways to see what had alarmed the turtles. These are not award-winning photos but heck, at least the birds are in the frame!
Check out the red eye.
In this photo the male's head is partially obscured by branches, but you can see his reflection in
the water. If you look beneath the tree on the right, you can see the female starting to come into view.
the water. If you look beneath the tree on the right, you can see the female starting to come into view.
And then they're off, making the characteristic wood duck alarm call.
In this shot you can see wedge-shaped tail, one of the ID traits of a wood duck in flight.
I walked to the creek, in the process flushing that or another pair but with no opportunity to get a picture. The creek is down from the last time I was here, so that the cherrybark oak that fell over when Floyd went through is above the surface of the water again.
Overhead a pine warbler was singing and I caught a glimpse of a pileated woodpecker across the creek.
Yesterday and today the birds were really revving up. Bluebirds, brown thrashers, mockingbirds, cardinals, pine warblers, meadowlarks, red-winged blackbirds, and song sparrows (although they will not breed here) were all singing, a beautiful cacophony of sound.
SweetBay, yay! So wonderful isn't it? I hear your excited voice. Only 9 more days, but I believe the birds and flowers... they know it is here. Have a great weekend. I'll be elbow deep in vegetable seeds. Diana
ReplyDeleteThe trees growing out of the water are so pretty. I am so happy that you were able to get pictures of the wood ducks. We have them on occasion on our pond but I can never get a picture. They fly away as soon as I walk out of my front door. Carla
ReplyDeleteI love natural places like that! Isn't it wonderful to be able to see wildlife like that? I must go down to the river tomorrow!
ReplyDeleteI think all of your photos are pretty wonderful Sweet Bay! Great to see your Wood Ducks and your first shot is so otherworldly! I can imagine the sounds and songs! ;>)
ReplyDeleteI love these signs of Spring! I saw a sign of Spring yesterday. It was those tiny four petal blue 'daisies' that come up as Spring gets near. They are only about 2 inches tall, so you have to look for them.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your photographic catch.
ReplyDeleteSweetbay,
ReplyDeleteVery cool and I knew you would find some wood ducks pretty soon, and you are lucky to get any photos. We used to get wood ducks on the pond before the house was expanded.
Today walking around the pond every step made a Bull Frog jump into the pond! The peeper were deafening tonight with the windows closed.
Bare trees reflected in brown swamp water really are beautiful, at least as your camera captures them! Great photos on the fly : )
ReplyDeleteLove these pictures of the ducks...they are always such a cheerful sight. So are you singing along with the birds - maybe?? :-)
ReplyDeleteAwesome photos of the trees! I'm starting to hear the birds sing now too! No peepers singing here yet, but I can't wait to hear them. I love this time of year!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Sweet Bay ~ you finally got your picture! I say it counts whether it's crystal clear or not. Great job. You can tell how calm it is by the reflection. Sounds like a wonderful walk ~ lots of great birds (and turtles too). It must be warming up for them to be out, right?
ReplyDeleteYou definetly have proof! That fist picture over the creek is perfect, with the mirror effect. A lovely Springday you had. Hope there will be plenty more :)
ReplyDeleteAha, you captured them!!!
ReplyDeleteHave a good weekend.
What a beautiful property you have there! It is great to have a body of water near your property like that, including those residents in their natural habitat. Your first picture is very beautiful esp because of the clear reflections of the trees. If i am near that area i will always have a great time.
ReplyDeleteI love the peaceful beauty you have captured. How wonderful to have a place like that so close by. Thanks for sharing. The birds do know that spring is almost here.
ReplyDeleteFlowerLady
I've never seen a Yellow-Bellied Slider, but it's cute. And I just like the word slough. We're hearing chorus frogs and spring peepers in some locations already, so that's a sure sign of spring!
ReplyDeleteLooks like an absolutely perfect place for wild birds. I hope those wood ducks nest there. What fun to see the babies.
ReplyDeleteMarnie
Beautiful photos of the creek! I love reflections too:) It's a shame that such beautiful ducks won't let you see them.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments everyone.
ReplyDeleteI can see the ducks, but they don't stick around for long. In short, it's because these are not tame ducks and they don't want to be shot. There are a lot of hunters surrounding our farm.
It could be that if I go down there with regularity they will get used to me. Ducks can of course tell the difference between individuals so it could certainly happen. I grew up on a lake with mallards and Canada Geese and it was fun to see the differences in personalities among ducks and how they interacted with different people. (Does this make me sound like a nut? lol It's true though!)
Marnie, I would dearly love to see the babies. Gene put up two wood duck houses, and there are a lot of hollow trees in the slough. Once the leaves come on the trees it will be harder to see and harder to sneak up on them. One advantage I have is that deer make a lot of noise as they travel through the woods too.
Beautiful, walking through the wild, taming them to perfection. ~bangchik
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you saw them and can share the photos with us! I know how much you've been wanting to see them!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad that spring is finally here...and yes, the birds are singing their hearts out for one another~~gail
I've been noticing duck pairings too lately. Hopefully we'll see babies soon too. What an a adventure your day must have been.
ReplyDeleteBirds and water fowl go crazy this time of year, don't they? I think I know what's on their minds:)
ReplyDeleteThe word slough is used around here, but this is the first time I've read it in a blog.
donna