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| Wood Duck perched in center tree |
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| Zooming in on perching Wood Duck |
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| You can’t see me… |
A couple of Hermit Thrushes hopped and perched in the underbrush, bobbing their tails as they watched me passing by.
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| Hermit Thrush |
After almost three hours rambling along the boardwalk, I headed back to the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. When there, I found only five Trumpeter Swans where there had been thirty-four the evening before. Were they on their way farther north?
Several Blue-winged Teals were feeding– the first I’d seen in many years. The blue on their wings was beautiful when they flew.
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| Blue-winged Teal (male) |
There were two families of Canada Geese on one pond; one pair both had bright white chin straps…
whereas the other pair both had chin straps that were more of a tan color. I am trying to determine if they are a different subspecies. Does anyone reading this know? I know there are seven subspecies of Canada Goose (and four of the related Cackling Goose), but I can’t find descriptions with photos.
Everywhere I went I heard the Red-winged Blackbirds proclaiming their ownership of reeds, trees, and shrubs. It was a privilege to visit this land that belongs to them and all these other denizens of the wild, and I look forward to visiting again someday. In the meantime, may they be fruitful and multiply and live in safety in their beautiful world.
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| Red-winged Blackbird |
Those are AWESOME pictures, Melissa! I especially like the raccoon. I'm glad you had a nice time away.