A Ringing Endorsement

This time of year, migrating waterfowl stop to rest (and sometimes nest) at the wetlands area nearby. Frequent visits keep me up to date on who is passing through the area and who is setting up housekeeping.

On a recent morning jaunt, I was delighted to see a ring-necked duck paddling around and preening.

I don't know if he was traveling alone, or if he flew in with friends, but he was certainly on his own out in the middle of the shallow lake on this particular morning. 

He kept his distance, so the pictures aren't terribly close or dramatic, but he didn't seem to be bothered by the attention I was giving him.

These ducks rarely breed this far south and I haven't seen him since that morning, so I am guessing he continued his journey and is now happily courting a lady duck in the upper peninsula or Canada.

He made sure to clean and arrange all his feathers just so.

Although some of his poses were a bit goofy, he was definitely handsome enough to attract some admirers. (I certainly admired him, but I doubt I'm his type...)
 

Sunday Strolling

Sometimes, I walk along the road by the bay as I wind my way up to the wetlands. 

Mergansers occasionally swim along the shoreline to provide a little entertainment as they look for breakfast.

These two girls were sporting very different coiffures, which made me smile. It's all about style!

While the bay was fairly smooth, the water at the marsh was glass calm, reflecting the trees from the opposite shore. Nobody was swimming, but it was quite peaceful.

A few fungi managed to overwinter successfully.

I'll have to watch and see if they keep growing, or if they are finished with their life cycles. I like the contrast of the smooth mushrooms against the rough birch bark. 

There's always something to see, isn't there? 
 

The Big Reveal

As usual, we start the reveal with a review of the clues. Here was Monday's mystery clue:

And then, Tuesday's teaser:

It's slightly closer, but the main subject of the puzzle is still pretty well camouflaged. He's just slightly above the middle of the frame and a little bit left of center on the trees.

Finally, here's the critter. It's uncommon to see these guys out in the middle of the day.

 And here's a closeup.

Porcupines are odd looking creatures, aren't they? It's interesting to watch them climb. They reach up with both their front legs at the same time, followed by both back legs hopping up behind. 

I hope you enjoyed the little mystery. :)

Tuesday's Teaser

First, we have a reminder of yesterday's mystery photo:

One puzzler commented about spotting the subject of this little mystery. So, I'll add another hint for today's installment, maybe making it a little easier to see. 

Did it become any clearer? Tomorrow will bring the reveal. :)

A Little Monday Mystery

Merry Monday! I haven't done a puzzler in a while, so I thought this might be fun. It isn't too difficult, but I hope you enjoy it. 

 What do you see? Other than a bunch of trees and sky, that is.... :)

Mallard Madness

This time of year, the returning ducks are quite a lot of fun to watch, as they team up and begin to nest.

A couple afternoons ago, I walked up to my favorite nearby wetland area to see who might be paddling around and enjoying the sunshine.

Madam Mallard was splashing around and enjoying a lovely bath.

Her sweetheart, on the other hand, decided he looked much more striking and attractive just allowing the sun to shimmer on his beautiful metallic green head feathers. He did look pretty impressive.

Other visitors were out on the water, too, but I need to sort through their pictures to see whether any might be blog-worthy. :)

Little Joys

Getting to watch the birds migrate back into the area (or through the area, as the case may be) is one of the little joys of springtime.

The pine siskins have flown in with the goldfinches and they are all voracious winged piglets that empty my feeders in record time. I think they try and beat their previous personal best every day!

The siskins are far more speckled than the golfinches, although they still have yellow markings to help them fit in.

In the picture above, you can see a group of goldfinches (two of them squabbling), with one siskin. Can you spot him? He's on the far right cup holding its own on the feeder.

Here you can see the highly speckled breast and head feathers to set them apart.

They chatter in the trees along with their finch friends and it almost seems like they're scolding me for letting their little feeding troughs get empty (seriously, I fill those cups two or three times a day and there are other feeders, too!).

Here's a view from the back, so you can see the wing markings.

Finally, here's a goldfinch in the process of putting on his breeding plumage to impress the ladies. He looks like he's wearing a harlequin costume, but he's already quite striking. Also, it's a really good contrast to the siskin above, should you ever need to identify either one of them at a glance. 

They may be small, but they're delightfully entertaining. 

And I've said it before, but pigs can fly...

A Superb Scaup

 This is the only scaup I have seen so far this year.

He's a very handsome specimen of drakehood, so I don't know why he hasn't attracted a girlfriend yet. I'm guessing he won't be alone for long.

After all, he keeps himself extremely well groomed and seems like an ideal mate.

If the light hits him just right, the feathers on his head glow a lovely emerald green.

Scaup are diving ducks, so I was happy that this fellow held still long enough for me to get some decent pictures. The divers usually disappear before I can get focused and then they pop up somewhere completely different and I have to focus all over again and yep, they dive before I get the picture taken. Yes, I'm slow.

It was a nice walk. Baloo and I used to visit this lake quite frequently when we had errands to run in town and the ducks always fascinated him (not to mention the muskrats!).

It's Draw a Bird Day!

 

Once again, it's Draw a Bird Day! On April 8 we celebrate the birthday of Dorie Cooper, who in 1943, visited her uncle in the hospital, as he was recovering from a land mine injury during World War II. He was understandably upset and depressed at the loss of a leg and, in an effort to cheer him up, Dorie asked him to draw her a bird.

He complied with her request and they laughed at his poor artistic skills, but she promised to display his bird in her room, anyway. After this first visit, every time she would come to see her uncle, the soldiers on the ward would hold bird drawing contests to see who could come up with the best picture. It always seemed to lift everyone's spirits.

Sadly, about three years later, Dorie perished in an automobile accident. At her funeral, the soldiers, nurses and doctors from her uncle's ward filled her coffin with bird drawings in her honor and her birthday has become an unofficial celebration of Dorie's bright and indomitable spirit and an excellent reminder to find joy in life's simple delights.

Here's an invitation to draw a bird for Dorie's birthday. Your drawing doesn't have to be fancy or accurate – remember, her uncle's was pretty bad. But if you're great at drawing birds, show off your skills! This year, I drew a playful bluebird of happiness, thinking of the 8 year old Dorie.

Don't forget to share your drawing with someone to spread the joy and honor Dorie's memory. 

 

Happy Draw a Bird Day!

Posing for Portraits

This colorful little house finch decided to pose for me at the tip of a lilac twig, so I was able to get a few good pictures of him.

 
Usually, the birds are hidden among the many crossing branches and it's hard to get a good look at them.

I try to take full advantage of any clear views I can get.

All the different poses are entertaining and offer carving possibilities, too. This fellow is likely to end up immortalized in Tan-Z Kut.

This last one might be my favorite. He looks so puzzled and inquisitive. So, that's today's portrait sitting. He was an excellent model, don't you think?


 

The Nuances of Nesting

The geese are scoping out possible nesting sites in the wetlands.

This particular goose caught my eye from across the lake. It was just standing there on one foot, watching the world go by and surveying its domain.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if a nest appeared in the grass right about there.

 Another pair of geese were paddling along in the shallows, but they sailed right past the one that had seemingly staked a claim on that particular piece of shoreline to find a different spot for their homestead. 

There will be fuzzy little goslings bobbing around in the water before we know it.