2016/05/23

Wildlife at Mud Lake

Before checking out the blossoms at Lincoln Fields today, I was at Mud Lake watching birds.  One of the first birds I saw was this singing Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus), which I think is a lifer for me.

2016-05-23-P5230013

2016-05-23-P5230020
Singing away.

Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus)
I saw another one later in the day surrounded by flies.

2016-05-23-P5230048
One recent common sighting at Mud Lake is the Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo).

Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) male
Here is the male less than ten metres away.

Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) male

Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) male
Is it weird to think a creature is ugly and handsome at the same time?

Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) male
Crouching turkey.

2016-05-23-P5230430
A child amazed by an Eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus).

Eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus)
Another chipmunk.

2016-05-23-P5230439
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) nesting on a beaver dam.


Great Egret (Ardea alba)
The trail around Mud Lake is temporary blocked off by the construction of the wooden bridge.  At the end of that western half of the trail was a Great Egret (Ardea alba).

2016-05-23-P5230258
Taking off!

Great Egret (Ardea alba)

Great Egret (Ardea alba)
Handsome.

2016-05-23-P5230581
Found a Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) in the forest.

2016-05-23-P5230598
A male Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) taking off the wings of an aquatic insect (a mayfly perhaps) and enjoying the fleshy body.

2016-05-23-P5230758
A mystery bird high up in the trees.  My labmate thinks it may be a female Baltimore Oriole.

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) male
Male Wood Duck (Aix sponsa).

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) male

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) female
Look at the metallic sheen on the female's wing feathers.

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) male

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) male

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) male

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) male

Bronze Birch Borer (Agrilus anxius)
A Flatheaded Poplar Borer (Dicerca tenebrica) flew into me in the forest.  Had I known it was a pest (to aspen trees) at the time, I probably would not have let it go freely.

Bronze Birch Borer (Agrilus anxius)

Bronze Birch Borer (Agrilus anxius)

Bronze Birch Borer (Agrilus anxius)

Whiteface dragonfly (Genus Leucorrhinia)
A whiteface dragonfly (Genus Leucorrhinia) whose identity I am not quite certain (because there was a spider web between me and the dragonfly).

2016-05-23-P5230858
As I re-start the trail from the northeastern end, the first thing I saw was a parent goose with at least ten gooslings.

Nearby was an even larger family - two adults with 30 gooselings!

2016-05-23-P5230906
Here are just some of the gooslings and one of the parents.

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) goosling
Very dinosaur-like (i.e., like one of those duck-billed dinosaurs).

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) goosling
Adorable!

Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)

2016-05-23-P5231038
A male American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) - lifer!

2016-05-23-P5231050
Nearby was a female.  Not sure if they are a pair or not.

2016-05-23-P5231051
Female taking off.

Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius)
Then I somehow ended up in a different place than I was expecting (i.e., the other side of the wooden bridge construction), but then I saw this Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) and Lincoln Fields in distance.

Here is a list of the (identifiable) birds I saw today (and probably many more that I did not identify):
- Double-crested Cormorant
- Gray Catbird
- Red-eyed Vireo
- Canada Goose
- Mallard
- Wood Duck
- Spotted Sandpiper
- Wild Turkey
- Great Egret
- Black-crowned Night Heron
- Ring-billed Gull
- Pileated Woodpecker
- Downy Woodpecker
- White-breasted Nuthatch
- American Robin
- Northern Cardinal
- European Starling
- Common Raven
- Common Grackle
- Eastern Kingbird
- American Goldfinch
- Yellow Warbler
- American Redstart
- Black-capped Chickadee
- Lincoln's Sparrow
- Chipping Sparrow
- Song Sparrow
- Mourning Dove

No comments:

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...