Sunny, high in the
mid 80s, calm
Still waiting for the influx
of migrants and we figured if the ducks are going to come in any time soon (it
really is pretty early!), we probably first find them at Rockland Lake. And so, we drive the one half hour down
and begin our observations at the “fishing
station” on the west side of the lake.
One mallard is all we can come up with. During the winter, as long as there is open water, there are
a myriad of waterfowl to occupy us.
But this is not winter.
As we drive along the
western shore, we come upon a Great egret which is startled by several of the
many walkers strolling and chatting.
I grab the camera and follow the bird in flight and ready myself to
start snapping away when he lands.
With wings and tail feathers all fanned out to “put on the brakes”, it
is always a great time to photograph these large birds…..especially if the sun
is backlighting them.
Nothing else to brag about
along this shore, so we decide to take a look at the small pond opposite the
main parking lot. This area is
again very productive in the winter, so let’s take a look now. There are quite a few ducks on the
water here, mostly mallards. Three
of the females have decided to share a log with a painted turtle looking for a “few
rays”. Nice to see that they get
along so well.
In the middle of the pond,
there are a few ducks which are of a different plumage. One is definitely a Wood duck hen, but
the others threw me for a moment.
Than I thought…”birds of a feather”….and sure enough on close
examination, these are drakes Woodies.
The reason for the momentary confusion was that these ducks are in what
is known as an “eclipse” phase.
They are molting into the gorgeous rainbow of colors they will sport
this winter. Several further away
and unfortunately our of camera range are much further along and the hues are
becoming much richer. It’s nice to
be able to see the progression.
Finally, way across on the
other side, we see a white smudge buried in the branches. Out comes the scope and we see that it
is a mature Black-crowned Night heron.
As I grab the camera, the bird flies. But as luck would have it, it flies closer to us making a
respectable shot possible.
And so, it has been an
enjoyable morning with some nice new sightings for the season. It will only get better and better from
here on out. Don’t want to wish
the summer away, but…….
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