Solitude

One nice thing about the approaches to the bridges being flooded is that since most people don't bring their "Wellies" to Great Meadows once you have waded through the water you pretty much have the refuge to yourself. Today it was cold, but sunny. There was lots of animal activity. I pretty much had the place to myself. It doesn't get much better than that.

Walking in from the parking lot, I started looking at all the frosty plants. But in the end I found these patterns the most interesting. Can you identify what they are?






Give up? They are the mud in the path freezing and taking the shape of the ice crystals.

The first thing I noticed was that a lot of the water in the impoundments was frozen. As a result the geese and the coots were crowded together in the patches of open water.




Coot on ice braking duty


Must be warmer than standing on the ice


Canada Goose comes to evict the Occupy Concord movement


Suddenly, I heard a lot of noise from the far side of the impoundment. Looking over, I noticed many birds rapidly moving across the water. Looking up the cause of their sudden activity was apparent, as a mature Bald Eagle was doing a bit of "fly fishing" or hunting as the case my be. The photos aren't great because of the distance. If I had known there would have been excitement, I would have set up where the reeds wouldn't have been in the shot.








Having struck out the eagle retreated to the trees near the treatment plant. I relocated to a spot where the reeds wouldn't interfere. I waited 40 minutes. The coots came back, but the eagle was content to sit in the tree.

There was a lot of animal activity this morning.


Some of these birds are not like the others. Buffleheads in the midst of the coots.


Finally saw the Belted Kingfisher inside the refuge


The consensus of the experts is that this mystery bird, is just a Goldfinch in nice light.


House Finch




Down by the river there were quite a few bluebirds, flying to and fro. Only on occasion would they stop at the Winterberry bushes. I am still hoping to improve upon last winter's Bluebird images. Today, I was able to capture a few nice portraits.


Male Bluebird


Female Bluebird




The ubiquitous sparrows seemed crowded out of the lime light by the flocks of bluebirds, goldfinches, and downy woodpeckers I encountered. This Song Sparrow posed so nicely I had to include him.




I don't know if this fish (yellow perch or raccoon perch (Perca fluviatilis)) was stranded by the receding water or whether he was caught by the tail. I do know that it wasn't there on Sunday when we walked through the water across the bridge.




I think I have enough photos of Downy Woodpeckers, but walking through the forest, I encountered this one. The colors in the background were so nice, I couldn't pass it up.

The Tide Comes In

In a rare occurrence for late fall / early winter the several inches of rain we received pushed the Concord River high enough to start to spill over its banks into the impoundments. That added a totally different flavor to Cherrie Corey's walk.

Thankfully, Patricia MacQueen had been there Saturday and had Cherrie alert her mailing list to bring our "Wellies". Unfortunately, for those weren't on her mailing list, it was a very short distance before they needed to decide if they were going to proceed cold and wet or remain warm and dry back at the car.






Right near the water control gate on the Cross Dike trail, on the right hand side of the trail we encountered the Sora. This may be the latest one has been seen at Great Meadows. A small crowds appearance didn't seem to bother it.








The water was probably only six-eight inches deep at the deepest point. Most of the trail was "dry". However you do have to be careful where you step. There were several places where muskrats tunnels into the dike had collapsed. The water will have to recede a bit before they can get out to mark them with cones.



The wildlife was limited. Except for the Sora, it was the usual suspects. The rain and flooding combined with cold temperatures resulted in ice forming in low lying areas. In some areas the ice was a grayish frosty type coating floating on the water, while in a few places it was clearer with more interesting formations.


Reminded me of a topographic map


Oak Leaves under Frosty Glass


After circumnavigating the lower impoundment we arrived back at the tower to enjoy the colors of the setting sun and the return of geese and ducks to the safety of the impoundments


Geese Returning Home


Tree Silhouettes Against Setting Sun


End of the Day

A Good Day To Stay In Bed

Tuesday morning I wanted to go on Alan's last scheduled bird walk of the year, so it was an early start on the day. On the way out the door, I grabbed my camera, flipped the latch to insert a memory card...and the latch came off in my hand! Not a great way to start they day. But not a disaster, so I grabbed my backup camera and continued on my way.

It was grey and not raining when I arrived at the refuge. In fact, I thought I was going to be late, but arrived just at 8 o'clock to find Alan by himself at the top of the tower. Maybe everyone was scared off by rain in the forecast. However, a few minutes later 3 more people arrived.

It was somewhat quiet at the refuge. Canada Geese and Coots were abundant. Several Buffleheads were on the far side of the Upper Impoundment. They were small even in the scopes. Near the opening on the Cross Dike Trail, the Ruddy Duck was hanging out on a tuft of lotus leaves and other vegetation. Of course the light was all wrong, so I am substituting this photo from yesterday that didn't make the editorial cut. It shows the same duck, on the same tuft, playing "King of the Hill" with a coot.



As we walked we encountered sparrows, chickadees, goldfinches, bluebirds, woodpeckers and a belted kingfisher. Unfortunately, they weren't very cooperative. They generally were hiding within the branches or back sides of vegetation. Occasionally, one would pop into the open and cooperate for a brief moment.





Unfortunately the clouds got denser, the sky darker and rain loomed on the horizon. (Why do weather forecasters rarely get the forecasts for rain wrong?) My backup camera, doesn't perform as well in darker conditions, so photographs became fewer and fewer.

Finally, the rain came and chased us all back towards our cars. It let up after a while it let up. Alan & I wandered over to the Timber Trail where we constructed a bog bridge, using wood reclaimed from old repair projects. It now spans the only section of trail that never dried all year long. There is now a path to allow people to pass without destroying the trail, or their shoes. Of course, where's my camera? Back in the car. Just one of those days.

Back at the parking lot, I wandered for a few minutes hoping for some photo make the day. Along the trail to the dike, I heard a cardinal calling. I tried for ten minutes to find a view that wasn't blocked by branches. With such a bright red body, I guess you learn not to let your guard down, even if it is only for a photograph.



As stealthy as the cardinal tries to be, it is really difficult to hide, when there are so few leaves on the trees.

I guess it was a fitting end, to an otherwise unremarkable day of photography. (Of course, becoming a better birder, it wasn't so bad.)

The day wasn't a total failure. The Great Meadows calendars have arrived and I've started to distribute them. They look really good. There are still some left. Click on the Great Meadows 2012 Calendar link for details.