dabblers and divers

The pond area is bustling with birds arriving! Several species of ducks have stopped for a meal or a day of rest on migration.  I marvel at how they tolerate one another in this small spot of respite. Occasionally we hear honking or see disputes, but mostly the creatures get along.  

Animals have adapted their method to feed in different ways.  For instance, we saw Mallards feeding near Hooded Mergansers. Mallards and Blue-winged Teal are ‘dabblers' – they dip their beak and head into the water to munch on shallow-water plants. Mergansers are ‘divers' – they dive totally under the water to eat plants growing in deep water.  

ducks on log

Hooded Mergansers Lophodytes cucullatus appear prominently on the pond when the weather is nice (you can not miss their dazzling appearance and active diving), and they disappear from view when it is not nice. This year, April has been colder than normal, rainy, and with mostly gray skies.

Waterfowl like these are here on their nesting ground. They can find shelter from bad weather in the weeds and reeds around the pond.  This Hooded Merganser pair can find plenty to eat here . . .  small frogs, tadpoles, insects, seeds, and even the roots or bulbs of water plants.  When they're satisfied, the pond offers several exposed rocks, logs, and shallow bars for critters to use as loafing sites. 

Next up -- finding a nesting site.

silly gooses

Canada Geese Branta canadensis occasionally visit the pond, but we discourage them from gathering here.  This is a small community pond and not able to support a flock of geese.

This pair has been hanging around for a week, honking at the ducks. This morning they decided to stand on the roof to get a better view. We love seeing the goslings (see 6/10/2021 goslings), but geese in large numbers can be pests.

 

muskrat whiskers

The muskrat Ondatra zibethicus was gathering breakfast this morning near the pond. 

He has a short soft underfur that traps air for insulation and buoyancy, and with longer stiff guard hairs over the underfur.  The whiskers stand out from the face.

Their tails are 7 to 11 inches long. No fur here . . .  the tail is covered in scales.  When they dive to move around, the tail is flattened vertically and serves as a rudder.

 

eagle nest, March

The eagle nest near the pond has been a quiet site while the birds wait for eggs to hatch. 

We can see a white head of the Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus sitting in the nest.  Since she is hunkered down in the 'bowl' the pair formed among the branches, the eggs (or young, if hatched) cannot be seen from the ground.

robin likes suet

 

This bird has been coming to the suet feeder near the pond for several days. American Robins usually eat insects, invertebrates, and berries.  This suet has seeds in it. They must be tasty to the Robin.

'homing' Mallards

Mallards can stay through winter in Minnesota if they can find food near open water. Now that the solid shore-to-shore ice on the pond is melting, a pair showed up here. This is probably the same pair that nested near the pond last year, since Mallards are known to 'home' where they have nested previously.

Even though a fractured layer of ice floats nearby, these ducks find food beneath the water. This might be what is known as a 'cold lunch'.

color

A tiny bit of color inside!  

Outside -- among the vast white of the snow on the pond -- the Goldfinches, rose colored House Finches, and red caps of the Woodpeckers.

icicles

March this year promises to be, as usual, a roller-coaster of weather. 

Rain turned to sleet overnight as the temperature dropped.

This morning everything outside was coated with icicles, including bird feeders near the pond.

hare

The pond has been under a comforter of white snow. The snow layer insulates and protects the critters tucked in among the rocks, mud, and dormant plants below water and ice.

On a sunny day, we saw a large rabbit sitting in the snow near the pond. It created a depression in the snow among reeds and wildflower stems, and snuggled down there all day. At dusk, it was gone from that spot. The next day the sunshine was bright on the white snow. The rabbit was in the same spot again, and napped all day. I suspect it was a White-tailed Jackrabbit Lepus townsendii, actually a hare.  Jackrabbits are nocturnal hunters and are known to take daylight naps in a shallow hole. 

eagle nest, January

The eagle nest near the pond is again claimed as home for a pair of Bald Eagles Haliaeetus leucocephalus. One was in the nest for a while before this, probably rearranging sticks to her liking in preparation to lay eggs.

FeederWatch, Downy Woodpecker

 

FeederWatch, a citizen-science program of Cornell University Lab of Ornithology, is once again an activity for me through the cold winter months.  This small Downy Woodpecker Dryobates pubescens comes every day to feed at the suet block hanging near the pond. Suet supplements his regular diet of insects which he searches for between folds of tree bark. His tail feathers are strong and positionable to support him on tree branches or wherever he finds food.

new year 2022 Juncos

Dark-eyed Juncos made their sudden winter appearance several weeks ago.  In Springtime, they find mates and nest "up north" in Canada.  In Autumn they migrate to places across the US where they spend the colder months. Junco hyemalis are flashy little sparrows. I think they look as if they're wearing tuxedoes, with crisp markings -- a white chest and belly, dark gray or black back, and pink bill.  They have bright white tail feathers which they reveal as they flit around on the ground searching for seeds. Juncos flock together in winter, sometimes with others species. When they find a stash of seeds (like this dish on the deck overlooking the pond) they grudgingly takes turns at it.

stars on ice

Another interesting feature of winter on the pond is the 'ice star'  or 'lake star'.  In my search for information about these patterns, I found many theories -- all related to the physics of temperature, moisture, pressure, and ice formation.  One of these theories is that patterns are formed in early winter when a hole allows water to swell up from beneath and spread over the surface, leaving dark fingers of melted ice radiating from the hole.

ice holes on pond

Cold, grey, blustery weather on the pond.

The water is covered by a thick layer of ice and snow drifts. Where the ice is visible between the drifts, a few holes break the smooth solid sheet. These seem to form where plant matter floating close to the surface or a submerged rock interrupted the process of liquid freezing to solid.

log in snow drift

We call the log near the shore of the pond  'turtle log'.  

Now it is buried in a snow drift.  It is curved, and usually emerges above the water or ice at least 18 inches.

Twenty inches of snow fell on the pond in this one early-winter storm. 

mud nest on maple twig

Walking in the winter always brings surprises!  Without leaves on the trees, secret nests are revealed.

This tiny mud nest (smaller than a dime) was perched on a low branch of a maple tree near the pond. It seems to be a Potter Wasp nest left over from earlier in the season.  The Potter Wasp Eumeninae builds a nest of mud on a stem or twig, then hunts larvae of other insects to stock the pot. She lays a single egg in the pot and seals it.  The egg hatches, feeds on what mom left in the pot, and grows through larval and pupal stages. The opening you see is the exit hole made by the young wasp emerging from the nest.

song sparrow feederwatch

 

Song Sparrows Melospiza melodia live year around in the area around this pond, hiding their nests in grasses, weeds, or small trees. 

Song Sparrows flit through dense, vegetation or low branches, staying low and forage secretively.  They eat insects in the summer; in winter they switch to seeds and fruit they glean from standing plants.  

They will also visit bird feeders.  I notice them especially on 'count days' for FeederWatch.

feederwatch 2021-2022

We do citizen science for Cornell Lab of Ornithology.  'FeederWatch' just started for this winter.  https://feederwatch.org/

The pond is surrounded by grasses, wildflowers, and shrubs that provide food for birds.  And we also put out seed and suet in feeders to bring the birds a little closer.  

log in first snow

Overnight, we had the first snow of this season.  On the pond, the water is high and the log was frosted with a little coat of white 'frosting'.  The reeds are still green, but weakening and leaning sideways with the weight of moisture.  The turtles who sun themselves on the log in summer are hibernating now. (see Surviving Below Freezing, 10/31/2020)  

leaf galls

This fallen leaf has galls all over it, lumps or complicated structures that look like capsules containing something mysterious.  Galls are made by one of 1500 species of gall producers -- mostly insects and mites.  Some galls form on leaves where insects feed on the plant matter, or lay eggs.  Galls may also develop as a response to infections by fungi, bacteria, or viruses.  Dissecting the gall is the only sure way to tell what caused it. That's a whole different adventure!

leaf veins

I can't resist looking closely at leaves.  Sometimes, I take the interesting ones with me for later study.  This maple tree next to the pond always has some message or lesson for me.  

Today it displayed nice autumn color.  But later I studied the veins that give the maple leaf it's unique shape.  Not only does venation give each leaf it's biomechanical strength to grow and stay on the tree through all kinds of weather all summer long!  Veins also function as transport vessels. 

The leaf is a main component in the plant's hydraulic system to move water and nutrients from the ground throughout the tree. 

The larger veins provide immense leaf structure support, and the various smaller veins provide photosynthetic gas exchange and enable the plant's growth.

muskrats chasing ducks

As the Mallards swim around the pond, feeding on plants growing at the edge, the muskrats chase the ducks.  The water mammals don't want to share with the birds. Muskrats' burrow or tunnel system is nearby, with an underwater entrance.

mallards showing off

After a month of no ducks on the pond at all, there have been many Mallards feeding and napping here. They are gathering to prepare for their fall migration. Mallards can indeed survive cold weather, but when they can no longer feed on live aquatic plants, insects in the water, or grain in snow-covered fields, it is time to fly south.

Each day in Autumn they search for food around the edge of the pond, nap in the warm sun, or practice their courtship moves. Mallards engage in seasonal monogamy, in which new pair bonds are formed each season. Usually they form these bonds on their wintering grounds.  And with new handsome feathers after molting season, why not show off?

Some of the courtship displays by Mallards are rhythmic head-pumping, signaling interest. Males will show off by pulling both wings and tail up to show off purple-blue wing feathers. Or, the male will raise out of the water, pull his head up, and give a whistle (as above).

storm over pond and river