The weather has been just ducky and pretty miserable for most observers of our marsh. It was nice to get a clear day just to go dink around with the binoculars and camera.
I was trying to find the black terns that karole and jay discovered. Her image of a flock of those pretty birds on Facebook was terrific and they are one of my favorite birds. I went in the afternoon which is not prime time and only saw a couple swooping around.
The best time is early or late and they went early. It is worth the alarm clock to go see these beauties!
We dodged a huge bullet with the hail storm missing the Bottoms and our communities. Those were some of the largest hailstones I have ever seen from Hays on the local news. It is really hard on the quail, pheasants, and turkeys — not to mention the crop damage. Hope we skip those storms from now on.
Warm days with no wind and limited mosquitoes are perfect for just enjoying the moment. I didn’t see anything exceptional except two mink racing across the road and refusing to give me a shot.
There are not very many birds visible right now. A few shorebirds are still here. Avocets never cease to amaze me. They are so elegant and graceful. They sleep on one leg or curl up on the shore and turn their head around to lay that long bill down their back.
When they decide to start wading or feeding again, they always lean over and stretch out the leg they have held up against their body and stretch their wings. This is signature behavior and I finally got a decent shot of that process. Pretty cute if you ask me.
The fat mallard picked a funny spot to nap. They always seem to keep an eye out for any trouble and he is keeping one eye open. I guess if you doze in plain sight of the road you have to sorta be alert even if it isn’t hunting season. He wasn’t nervous.
The snakes are out in full color and busy right now. I didn’t see a Massasauga or any unusual species. The water snakes are busy chasing each other and feeding. They are beautiful and plentiful at the waterway by the observation tower. You can see some magnificent specimens there. They only get cranky if you bother them, and there is no reason to do that – but they will bite and really do stink if you get too close.
I like garter snakes. They spend way too much time on the road and end up flat as a pancake far too often. They might bite you if you pick one up, but their main defense is to coil and look as mean as possible, and excrete nasty fluids if you catch them. They are too brave for their own good.
The new office is coming along and you can feel the energy and goodness in our marsh. The work on the pumps is also going as planned with weather considerations. Everyone out there is happy and busy and it is always nice when they stop and visit for a minute.
Our marsh is in good hands! I’m getting up early tomorrow to go see those Black Terns!
Doctor Dan Witt is a retired physician and nature enthusiast. He can be reached atdanwitt01@gmail.com.
