what is it May 2020

I found an unfamiliar object on a twig laying on the ground near the pond. Deer have browsed the willow shoots in that area, and this was cut but left behind. The object seemed like a gall or growth rather than a seed pod.  It has dried leaves curled around it, and looks to be attached to the twig with a web-like or woven material.  I asked my friends on Botanical Wanderings for ID help -- it is most likely the cocoon of a native silk moth. If so, it should emerge in the next few weeks. Hopeful, I tied it to a sandbar willow branch near where I found it, since willow a host plant where giant silk moths lay their eggs.

Tree Swallow pairing

Several Tree Swallows, Tachycineta bicolor, are flying around above the pond, estimating the area as a food resource.  They also checked in to the two nestboxes here.  We think they approve, signaled by them placing a few grasses in the boxes.

Painted Turtle

Lack of rain has exposed some of the rocks in the pond as water level recedes.  The Painted Turtles Chrysemys picta climb on the rocks to bask in the sun.  Females grow to 10 inches, while males are slightly smaller at full size.  They are common in Minnesota, and sometimes called "mud turtles".

Mallard ducklings

The female Mallard appeared on the pond today with 11 ducklings in tow.  It is hard to tell exactly how many hours old they are since we did not track the nest or hatch time.  They stayed by Mom at first, but all swam vigorously as they got used to the water.

muskrat take-in dinner

This adult Muskrat is probably taking a meal home to the nest.  They can bear more than one litter per year.  Carrying this much food, rather than eating on the spot, suggests this adult has a litter unable yet to feed on their own.  In Minnesota, Muskrats, Ondatra zibethicus, eat vegetation they they find and harvest in wetlands.  They weigh 2 to 5 pounds, and live in burrows or domed nests on the edge of ponds or streams.

Red-winged Blackbird

Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus is setting his territory around the pond.  The water is surrounded by grasses, rushes, shrubs, and wildflowers -- perfect habitat for the nests that female blackbirds will build.  But this bird is a bully -- he chases every other songbird.  The Tree Swallows tried to inspect the nestbox intended for them and the Blackbird displayed his beautiful wing epaulets while screeching at them.

Grosbeak

This Rose-breasted Grosbeak Pheucticus ludovicianus
male paused on the deck rail for a moment after he helped himself to sunflower seeds from the bird feeder.

It is always easy to tell adult males from females -- he is a black-and-white bird with a brilliant rose-red chevron extending from his black throat down the middle of the breast.

A female adult is not black and white, but heavily streaked brown shades with a lighter eye stripe.

But juvenile males are not easily recognized.  Their first plumage is like their mother, streaky brown with gold brown breast.  In their hatch year, male Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are streaky brown overall with white patches on the primary wing feathers and pink patches on the underwings.  Females in their hatch year are streaky brown overall with small white patches on the primaries and yellow patch on the underwing.

RBG usually nest in a vertical fork or crotch of a sapling.  There are plenty of saplings around the pond.

Mallard bath

These two Mallards are cleaning up.
Each duck dips the front of her or his body into the pond and splashes water on the rest of their body.  Ducks' feathers make them buoyant so they can roll, rock, shake, and wiggle their tail and still stay afloat.

bald eagle

Bald Eagles Haliaeetus leucocephalus

nest near the pond. 
Near enough for the adult Eagles to
 glide over the wetland

 in search of meals for their brood.
  

We cannot see into the nest, high in

 a tree, but before the leaves unfurl we can see little fuzzy nestlings when they lean up to beg for food.

Tree Swallow

Tree Swallows Tachycineta bicolor have arrived after migrating from southern USA or Mexico where they spend winter. This bird showed off his iridescent dark blue feathers while taking a rest on a branch over the pond.  Tree Swallows feed on flying insects that they catch on the wing.

mallard

Female Mallard frolicking on the water?  Not a frolic -- she was having a bath.  Standing on a submerged rock, she dipped her bill and dabbed her feathers with water.  Later she swam to the shore and tidied herself on the sunny grass.  Ducks such as Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) have a preen gland that produces oil. Using the bill, they smooth their feathers and spread the preen oil to condition them.  All birds need to maintain their plumage . . .  re-position feathers, interlock feather barbules that have become separated, and remove parasites from their body or plumage.

Hooded Merganser defending territory

Hooded Mergansers have been visiting the pond to dive and feed underwater.  Some days, two pairs show up; there seems to be room for all of them on the pond. But when a bachelor shows up by himself, and swims too close to a female, the paired males signal him to go away.

muskrat tail

The muskrats are nocturnal; we usually see them around the pond later in the day. 
Muskrats use their tails as rudders to steer themselves in the water and for a little extra propulsion.
Their tails have scales instead of fur.  A muskrat tail is long, thin, and roundish, flattened side to side.
Muskrats use their tails as rudders to steer themselves in the water and for a little extra propulsion.

Blue-winged Teal

Blue-winged Teal are also dabbling ducks, but smaller than the Mallards we frequently see on the pond.

They eat vegetation and grains, but in nesting season look for aquatic insects and larvae, crustaceans, clams, and snails.

This male was accompanied by a female and she wandered into the reeds to feed there.

spring thaw

The pond is thawed out, except for a bit of ice on the edges in the morning.  The mallards dabble close to shore, or rest and preen on last year's dried vegetation.  Occasionally, a few Canada Geese drop in to see what's up on the pond.  Mostly, they wander around on the boulevard grass, honking at one another.

Goldfinches - one of two annual molts

American Goldfinches (Spinus tristis) are changing into their springtime molt, from drab to brilliant.  They are among the few birds that refresh their feathers twice a year.  In spring, they shed all except the wing and tail feathers.  This is how they change to bright yellow for mating season.  After nesting in summer, they prepare for surviving winter by molting all feathers.  

foursome for lunch

We've seen a pair of Hooded Mergansers on the pond each day at various times.
This time,  two pairs find lunch on the pond. 

They come and go, so probably making the rounds of all the underwater buffets. 

We are looking forward to nesting season; this species usually look for a cavity to lay their eggs.

turtle pile

Painted turtles have come out of hibernation.  They spent the winter in burrows dug into the mud at the bottom of the pond.  They can hibernate without oxygen for months. 

Now that the pond is warming up, they are emerging again.  They find a sunny spot to absorb the heat.

bufflehead

Buffleheads Bucephala albeola, small diving ducks, are migrating through Minnesota now.  They nest north of here, so I assume these  two males stopped today for rest and food.  The pond is a perfect place for a respite on a cold snowy day. Maybe they found it warmer under the surface; they seemed to stay under for 12-15 seconds. Judging from the geese and other ducks feeding here, the Buffleheads must be finding nourishment as they dive in the pond.  I was trying for a photo of both, but they were constantly diving again, and too quick for me. 

merganser pair

A pair of Hooded Mergansers Lophodytes cucullatus stopped on the pond for a few hours. They are "diving" ducks - -  each dives totally under the water to eat vegetation.  They also will eat small fish, aquatic insects, crayfish, amphibians, and mollusks.  Their eyes are specially adapted to seeing underwater.  They locate prey by sight, and propel themselves with their feet.  Grasping prey underwater is easy with their long, slender, serrated bill.

mallards on pond

First mallards this Spring on the pond.  They both look healthy and robust, ready for nesting season.

muskrat on the pond

Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) lives in marshes, ponds, and other wet areas.  At first, we thought this might be a beaver, but it is only 14 inches long and a rounded 'rat' tail.  Muskrats eat roots and stems of wetland plants plus snails, crayfish, fish, frogs.

Chickadees at feeder over the pond

Black-capped Chickadees stay in Minnesota all winter.  They eat seeds and insects or larvae when they can find any.  They come to feeders where I offer sunflower seeds, safflower seeds, and peanut chips.  This feeder hangs over the pond with an extra branch for the birds to perch on.

From November to April I watch, count, and report the birds I see as a citizen scientist.  Cornell Lab of Ornithology is replete with data and information about birds.  https://www.birds.cornell.edu/home

This pond is covered with snow, and a layer of ice under that.  The turtles are hibernating below in the mud.  The muskrats are snug in their burrows.  It looks quiet and peaceful on the pond, but there is a lot going on in all seasons.

snowy pond February

How different the same view looks in winter! Still, we see evidence of critters who live at the pond by their tracks in the snow.

feeding birds on the pond

Chickadees, house finches, juncos, and even downy woodpeckers venture out of the trees nearby to take seed at the feeder next to the pond.