MIGRANT BIRDS IN GRASS AND SHALLOWS

     Today, March 28, 2024, the live camera at Lake Onalaska, a back-water lake off the Mississippi River in Wisconsin, was, for a time, focused on several yards of tall grass on a small, mud flat island, and shallow water in front of that grassy island.  The migrant bird species in those grass and water niches, including flocks of tree swallows, several scattered red-winged blackbirds, a few lesser yellowlegs sandpipers, and a small group of regal ring-necked ducks, were beautiful and inspiring to see in their natural habitats, even when viewed on a computer screen.  All those species recently moved into those niches to rest and feed, but only the red-wings will stay there to raise young among the tall grasses.

     Flocks of American white pelicans, sandhill cranes, tundra swans, Canada geese, common goldeneye ducks and ring-billed gulls, plus several bald eagles, were on Lake Onalaska at that same time, but I was focused on the beauties and intrigues of the four bird species on, and by, that small, grassy island, at least for a little while.    

     Gatherings of striking tree swallows perched on the wind-swayed grass between their forays for flying insects.  When feeding, the swallows skim swiftly and low over the water, quickly turning this way, then that after airborne insects, without collision with each other.  Sometimes, all the swallows take flight at once, for no reason that I can see.  But I am not a tree swallow.  And the "spooked" swallows soon return to the high grasses to rest again before feeding.  

     Male red-winged blackbirds are handsome in their black feathering, with red shoulder patches that are most visible when those birds sing from swaying cattails and tall grasses.  I saw some of those lovely males raising their wings with each song, which showed off their scarlet epaulets.  Their mates, however, are a pretty brown, with darker streaking, which camouflages them among cattails and other tall vegetation.  Red-wings feed on seeds and invertebrates they pick off plants and mud flats.  

     A few migrant lesser yellowlegs waded in the shallows after aquatic invertebrates.  They have long, yellow legs that carry them into water where they poke their long beaks in mud under water to seize aquatic invertebrates.  This gray and white-speckled-feathered species nests by lakes and ponds in Canada's boreal forests.  

     A little group of elegant ring-necked ducks swam in the shallows under the high grass, tree swallows and red-wings.  These beautiful, black and gray drakes and brown hens dive underwater from the surface to ingest water snails, small crustaceans, and aquatic invertebrates and vegetation.  Like the yellowlegs, these lovely ducks raise ducklings on ponds in Canada's and Alaska's forests.

     All these kinds of migrating birds are attractive and intriguing in a beautiful niche.  Together they created a lovely, inspiring picture, however fleeting.  All of nature is inspiring beyond words.          

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

SPRING ON THE UPPER CHESAPEAKE

      I visited the Upper Chesapeake Bay at the Community Park of Northeast, Maryland one afternoon about the middle of March a few years ago, as I had several times in different seasons before that day.  This time, I went there to spot migrating water birds of various kinds.        Because of their high numbers, gulls and ducks were the dominant birds on the ice, and strips of open water among the slabs of ice because of the warming weather in March.  Most of the handsome ring-billed, herring and great black-backed gulls stood picturesquely on slabs of ice.        The attractive, adult ring-billed and herring gulls are mostly gray on top, white below, and look much alike, except the herrings are larger and have a red mark on their beaks, whereas each ring-bill has a black "ring" around its bill.  Largest of these gulls, the stately, mature black-backs have black backs and upper wings and are white below, making a striking, attractive plumage pattern.        All three of thos
Read more

DADDY-LONG-LEGS

     During summer, over the years in southeastern Pennsylvania, I've seen many daddy-long-legs on the bark of tree trunks on lawns, and in parks and woods.  They blend into the color of tree bark well and are difficult to see.  Many people never see them at all until those camouflaged little critters are pointed out by people in the know about them.        Daddy-long-legs have eight, really long, thin legs, but they are not spiders.  But they are arachnids, and related to spiders.  These attractive, little creatures, called daddy-long-legs because of their long legs, have quarter-inch, compact bodies raised on stilt-like legs.  They have two dark eyes and feel the vibrations of birds and other predators with their legs.  But these arachnids have no venom, or silk to make webs.        Daddy-long-legs, like all other living beings, are part of several food chains.  They consume tiny invertebrates and decaying plant and animal materials they find on tree bark.  And, in turn, many of
Read more

FATHER FINCHES FEEDING FLEDGINGS

     While sitting on our back deck to enjoy the lovely scenery and weather during the afternoon of July 21, 2023, I noticed a tiny, red speck in our tall Norway spruce tree on our suburban lawn in southeastern Pennsylvania.  Peering at that red spot with 16 power binoculars, I saw it was a beautiful male house finch feeding three fledgling house finches; his offspring.  Those gray and dark-streaked young birds fluttered their wings vigorously while being fed invertebrates and seeds.  And the wild charm of those birds was decidedly enhanced by the deep-green of the needled spruce boughs.        Those four house finches were a lovely, exciting sight to me.  I know that species of small birds raises young in our neighborhood every summer, including a pair of house finches that hatch offspring on a support under an awning over our deck.  But never before had I watched a father house finch feed his young outside their twig and grass cradle.  And when that male finch flew off the spruce lim
Read more