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| Julie captured this really nice image of the main East Marsh; if the gods (and our equipment) stay on our side, we will draw most of this water off over the next couple weeks to expose 100+ acres to what we anticipate will be an explosion of vegetative growth |
Weeks literally feel like they are going by like days lately. I guess that means it's summer! I'm going to play a little catch up and share some of my favorite photos since Memorial Day weekend. As day light continues to lengthen, opportunities to get things accomplished outside increase, but it also gets harder and harder to stay disciplined about downloading what’s on the SD card!
Again, here are some highlights:
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| I often wonder how people would react to seeing mallards if they were rare (instead of the most common duck in North America); taken in isolation, they truly are beautiful birds -- yet another instance of "common" too often leading to taken for granted |
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| Frogs are starting to become more visible; Julie snapped this nice photo of a well-camouflaged leopard |
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| And where there are frogs there are typically snakes; this common watersnake gave me a great opportunity for closeups |
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| At 30" or so and right at my feet, I have to admit this one got my attention |
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| This docile DeKay's brown snake maxes out at 12-15" and is more interested in earthworms than frogs |
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| I am routinely finding them now as I clear downed logs or move anything that has been sitting on the ground for an extended time |
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| Like the mallard, this red-winged blackbird is extremely common . . . and extremely striking at close range |
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| We continue to be overrun with yellow warblers, and this individual really put on a show for the camera |
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| Just because it's invasive (monk thistle) doesn't mean it can't be beautiful; I didn't even notice the ants until the image was "developed" |
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| Opportunistic egrets always seem to find food in fluctuating water |
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| Click to enlarge to see some of the ~150 that have been frequenting 40 acres of shallowly flooded millet residue |
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| This male oriole has set-up shop in the largest cottonwood next to the bunkhouse; his vibrant colors make it hard for me to put the camera down every time that I have to leave |