painted turtle sunning among reeds

 

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.

 

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.

 

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)  

sparrow feeding on shore

Evidently there are still damselflies or dragonflies among the reeds and grasses on the shore.  This sparrow scored one while hopping in the shallow water of the pond. 

green heron scouting for prey

We have not seen the Green Heron Butorides virescens around the pond since mid-July.  This one was balanced today on rocks near the shoreline, its thin legs crossed as it turned its body to spy prey below the water. After a while, it went into the grasses to hunt for another food item.

balanced turtle

This turtle was probably thinking it could be the top part of a balanced rock sculpture.  Or, maybe seeking a sunny rock and believed this would be it.  Not enough rocks for a sculpture, nor the right shape to be comfortable!

muskrat mid-summer meals

Now that the clover growing near the pond is on the wane, the muskrats are finding other plants to eat.

Here, the muskrats eat pondweed, rushes, grasses, sedges, and other aquatic vegetation.  We do not often see them feeding right where they find food.  They usually cut and drag plants to a feeding spot near one of their travel paths.  There, they can eat without worrying about predators.

Muskrats consume about one-third of their weight each day.  That's a lot of greens!

It was a lovely day, although hot and humid. This pond is part of the stormwater system. The technique uses creeks, ponds, wetlands, lakes, and ditches to manage stormwater run-off. All of the water gathered makes its way to the St. Croix River or infiltrates into the groundwater aquifer.

Blackbird fledglings

Hiding in the reeds, unsure of what to do next, these three young Red-winged Blackbirds are waiting for instructions from a parent.  They fledged from their nest today, and flew a short distance. They hatched only 10 days ago (see post on 6/10/2020), then grew and developed to almost their adult size.  The mom will feed them and teach them to find food on their own for the next few weeks.  Seeds are most of their diet year-round, but for summer they will learn to hunt insects hiding among plants surrounding the pond.  Later, once each develops agile flight, they will catch flying insects mid-air.

RWBB nest

The Red-winged Blackbird nest is hidden in vegetation at the far end of the pond.  The female was in the nest when I approached.  The male adult protested my presence there, flying over my head while squawking loudly. He brushed against my hat several times to make sure I knew he was serious.

Hidden in marsh vegetation, the female had built a sturdy cup of grass a few feet out from the shore.  Suspended above the water and lashed to stiff standing reeds from last season, the nest is purposely hard to reach.  She had built it of grass, reeds, leaves, rootlets, and lined it with fine grass.  While I watched, she only squashed down further in the nest to hide her eggs.

Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus typically have 3 or 4 eggs in a clutch, and they may have a second clutch each season.