sandpiper on pond

 

blue-wing teal in Spring

The wetland around the pond is a stopping place where ducks in migration can rest and get a meal.  

A pair of Blue-winged Teal stopped today.

first turtle of Spring

Adult painted turtles Chrysemys picta begin active foraging usually in March or early April.  Since winter has held on strongly until now, we only saw the first turtle today when the sun was shining and temperature is in the 60's F.  

Shortly after awaking from winter, courtship begins.  If they laid clutches of eggs last fall, the little hatched turtles probably over-wintered in the nest.  Now they emerge and instinctively seek the security of water in the pond.

Today, the Spring Peepers are singing too!

ice out

 'Ice Stars' adorned the melting ice on the pond last week, since winter was long and more snowy than usual.  

Warmer this week, and ice was all melted by today.

mallards arriving

Even though Spring is here and the birds have been moving to their nesting areas in Minnesota, the ice  is thick on the middle of ponds.  The Mallard pair is finding food in the open water near the shore.  They act like ice-breakers with their beaks and legs to get to the plant material beneath the water. 

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

golden alexanders

Many native plants are coming up through their winter blankets of grasses and mulch.  The Golden Alexanders Zizia aurea will be displaying their golden yellow flowers in just a few weeks.

tamarack rosettes

There are several trees in the riparian area around the pond.  One is the Tamarack Larix laricina or American Larch.  It is just starting to flower, before sprouting its fresh bright green soft needles. Tamarack is a native deciduous conifer; it is in the pine family but sheds needles (leaves) in Autumn.

turtles in Spring

Springtime, sunny, and balmy.  Turtles all came out of the pond today to warm up on the rocks. To get maximum exposure to the sun's warmth, they extend their legs, neck, and tail.

junco in spring

Suddenly, this morning, a flock of migrating Dark-eyed Juncos appeared in the buffer at the edge of the pond.  These sparrows, Junco hyemalis, nest north of here across Canada and Alaska.  As they hunt among the grasses, each flicks its tails so we can see the white feathers flashing.  Dressed in rather dull gray, the bright white tail feathers seem to be their only adornments for courting a mate. According to allaboutbirds.org, females seem to prefer males that show more white.

cold goose feet

Spring weather sometimes allows the pond to be liquid in the day, but after a cold night there might be some thin ice.  A Canada Goose carefully navigates the slippery ice, then gets a surprise.

mallards' finest feathers

 

Mallards arrived this week on the pond.  Last year, after nesting and before migrating, mallard ducks molted: each lost and replaced all of their feathers with new drab plumage. This is considered their 'basic plumage.'  In the early spring, just before breeding season, they shed some feathers and put on their handsome 'alternate plumage' to look more attractive and help attract a mate.

These two stood on the rocks to preen their feathers, close to water but not in it.  The male showed off his iridescent green head, bright yellow bill, and orange-red feet. The female revealed the white-bordered bright blue patch in her wing feathers.

geese in early Spring

 

open water

Open water around the edge of the pond.  Now we watch for the ducks and geese to arrive with Spring.

early meadow rue

Early Meadow Rue Thalictrum dioicum is also called Quicksilver Weed.  The small flowers will open into fuzzy clusters.  The foliage is a pleasing blue-green color.  This specimen is coming up among other plants hiding beneath the young trees.  Early Meadow Rue often likes moist partly shaded areas, so this one will thrive in the position it has chosen near the pond. 

I believe that plants actually move to where they can optimally survive.  If a seed falls in suitable habitat for the plant to thrive and reproduce, then it does so.  If the seed falls in a less-than-perfect place, then it withers. This way, plants move from generation to generation, even as the climate changes.