smooth penstemon

Foxglove Beardtongue, Penstemon digitalis (also called Smooth Penstemon) has white flowers that bloom for a month or longer.

The tubular flowers attract long-tongued bees such as bumblebees and mason bees, as well as hummingbirds. This is one of the plants we are trying to encourage in the riparian area around the pond. 

Good for pollinators!

iris

 

Northern Blue Flag 

Iris versicolor, is blooming 

again near the pond.

This year each plant seems stronger and more colorful with the background of grass green.

These grow near the green/white striped leaves of Sweet Flag (Acorus).

blackbird nest

The Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus gave away the secret location of their nest by screeching at us as we walked around the pond.  As I came near the spot, he warned me vocally and hit my hat with his feet as he flew by.

 

sora chicks

 

Described as "secretive" birds and rarely seen, we have a pair of Sora Porzana carolina living in the wetland around the pond.  I saw a lone egg a few days ago, and thought it was the start of a clutch. Today, this little black cotton-ball with orange/red tufts under his big beak appeared!  Soras start incubating eggs when they have only a few in the nest, and go on laying eggs (one a day) until they have around a dozen eggs. Consequently, each chick hatches on different day. One parent tends to the hatchlings and the other continues incubating the remaining eggs until each hatches.

arrowhead

 

trees

 
Flowers on Willow tree (above) and new cones on Tamarack tree (left).

plop!

 Hail falls on the pond with 'plop' sounds.

wildflowers blooming

 

pussytoes 6-1

Pussytoes Antennaria neglecta spreads as a groundcover, with basal leaves surviving through winter close to the ground.

In springtime, flowers emerge on tall stalks and look like toes on kittens. 

The lower surface of each basal leaf is silvery white with dense matted hairs; the upper surface is gray-green and woolly. In summer, the old basal leaves shrivel up and disintegrate, leaving the short plant and root to hide in the surrounding vegetation until next Spring.

early purple ivy blooms

These lovely purple flowers are loved by bees. The early blooms help feed insects before a lot of other flowers open. This 'ground ivy' has a long history of medicinal use. It is usually evergreen throughout winter if covered by snow. Part of the mint family of plants, it is also aromatic.  

Some lawn owners know it as a pest, and call it 
creeping charlie, gill-over-the-ground, alehoof, 
tunhoof, catsfoot, field balm, or run-away-robin.
I admire the shape and texture of the leaves, and 
used them in a botanical design project.

nest box peek

Peeking into the nest box . . . 

Tree Swallows lay eggs and 
disguise them by sticking feathers 
barb-down so the fluffy vanes curl over the contents of the nest.

In this photo, we can see a few white eggs among the soft grasses in the bottom of the nest box.
 

phoebe

Rainy cold day for flycatchers!  These two Eastern Phoebes Sayornis phoebe rested on the branch and spent several minutes to shake their feathers and preen feathers. Maybe they look bedraggled because they were hunting flying insects in wet weather. 

nectar and pollen

Before June, dandelion flowers are one of a few important food source for pollinators, providing both nectar and pollen for bumblebees and honey bees. Other various insects like beetles, hoverflies and butterflies use the nectar as food. Some birds eat the seeds. 

sora, master of disguise

My new favorite bird!  I just discovered the Sora Porzana carolina (a very secretive wetland bird) this Spring.  I watch a pair every day, hunting at the edge of the pond.  They think the mottled-pattern camouflage feathers makes them hard to spot.  But the bright yellow bill gives them away.   (see post on 4/24/2022)

strutting blackbird

 The blackbird was foraging among the short grasses near the pond.   A female, recently arrived after migrating, landed on a branch of swamp willow.  The male saw her and started displaying his handsome epaulets.  He walked toward her with his feathers fluffed out and tail partly spread.  As he proceeded, he lifted the leading edge of each wing so that the red shoulder patches were puffed up, appearing bigger.  She flew to another small tree; he followed among the willow sprouts, displaying his male beauty to impress her. 

(Red-winged Blackbird males have colorful upperwing coverts of red bordered with yellow on the bend of each wing.  He will use the colorful display to threaten other birds, defend his territory, or attract a mate.)

muskrat claws

 

Often we can see a muskrat swimming back and forth in the pond, harvesting plants and taking food home to the family.  Muskrats Ondatra zibethica eat the roots, stems, leaves, and fruits of many water plants such as cattail, rushes, smartweed, duck potato, horsetail, sedges, and willow sprouts.  They are strong swimmers due to their two long back feet and five webbed toes.  For grasping and harvesting food, they have developed smaller front feet with four fingers with claws and a small thumb.   By living near the pond, muskrats control plant growth, provide open spaces for new plants to grow, and make space for other animals to build their nests.

sandpiper

Spotted Sandpiper has again migrated north to Minnesota. This species spends winter as far south as South America.  Welcome back!

blue-winged teal

Blue-winged Teal ducks have been on the pond for a week or so. Last year, this species stayed only a few days to rest on migration. This season, they seem to find enough food here to stay longer. The hen makes a nest on the ground where she finds grassy cover to hide her eggs from predators. I admired the male's feathers, especially the white chevron on the back of his head.

green sprouting

 After a late, cold and windy Spring season, there is finally some green leaves sprouting in the wetland surrounding the pond. These are the beginning leaves of Golden Alexanders.

Sora

This very secretive bird, that usually hides among vegetation, today revealed itself at the edge of the pond!  I hope this one will find a spot to nest among the dense vegetation of rushes and sedges.

Not often seen in the open, the Sora is a small chubby bird of freshwater shallow areas with plants such as cattails, sedges and rushes.  Sora Porzana carolina is brown and gray with a mottled patterned body, 8-10" long.  Despite their camouflage feathers, the bright yellow bill gives them away.  It is stubby, thick, glowing yellow in a gray face with black mask.

Soras feed by pecking at the water surface for seeds, aquatic insects, or invertebrates. Long toes help them to rake through submerged vegetation for food items, and help them walk on floating mats of plants. They nest among dense plants at the pond edge.

crow on rocks

The rocks scattered around the pond are revealed as the water level changes with rain or drought. It is always interesting to see what critter might rest, sun itself, or defend (for a moment) a particular dry rock.

This crow was trying to fetch seeds from the water surface by standing on two rocks.

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.