ANOTHER HUNTLEY MEADOWS WALK - PART 1

On Sunday, May 4th, 2019, the weather was too good not to go out and enjoy, so we headed to Huntley Meadows.  It was a great choice because not only was everywhere very lush and green, there was also a lot of wildlife.  And just like last time there were lots of people, couples like us and parents with young children.  

We took our usual path through the woods and you couldn't help but notice how beautiful everything looked.  The trees were waking up, along with all the plants and bushes on the ground.  They were full of bright green, newly sprouted leaves.

The wildflowers were lovely also.  A cricket was enjoying this one.  The closest I could come to identifying the flower was the Common Blackberry.  I found a website here.  If you know for sure I would be glad for the help.

There were many more blooming in other areas.

Over the water we noticed dragonflies everywhere.  You can read more information about the Common Whitetail Dragonfly here.

I didn't know if this video was going to turn out, but if you enlarge it you will be able to see a couple of Common Whitetails flying around, and another dragonfly I don't know the name of, just bouncing up and down in one spot.  I'm assuming it was feeding.

My favorite area is when you get down to the marshy area, where water levels can rise and fall depending on weather, and beaver building.   

We stopped to look at this familiar view across the pond, and noticed movement.  There was a Snowy Egret and a Great Blue Heron not too far from each other.

~Snowy Egret~

~Great Blue Heron~

We saw several Canada Geese sitting on nests.

I noticed her bill was open but we were all too far away to be a threat, and surmised this was not an aggressive, protective stance.  I wondered if it was because it was a very hot day, and have read that wild birds will open their bills and pant to help dissipate heat when it is very warm.  As they get hotter their panting may increase in speed, or they may open their bills even further for greater cooling.

We were intrigued by this old tree stump sticking out of the water, and surmised that beavers had caused it. 

We took another photo several weeks ago (below) and as you can see, there is a lot of new growth not only on the stump, but also in the water surrounding it.  The old tree is still growing...

and it is now being slowly surrounded by other water plants.  One of the reasons I enjoy coming in all the four seasons is to see those changes.

In the center of the next photo is a turtle.

~Painted Turtle~

There are always naturally fallen logs lying in the water, and always several turtles sunning themselves.  This scene is repeated all over the park.

And then you get the frogs.  It is fun to try and spot them in the mud.  There were several American Bullfrogs making their appearance.  We also saw large tadpoles but I couldn't get a decent photo of these.  A couple came along and saw our interest, and told us that the tadpoles we were looking at were second year.  They were the biggest I had seen.  They told us that bullfrog tadpoles (I am not sure if this applies to other types) live for two years before turning into a frog.  We met in other areas along our walk, and we enjoyed chatting with them each time.  They always told us interesting things, fellow  nature lovers who were happy to volunteer what they knew.  

Our next stop was at the nesting box where we saw the male Wood Duck on our previous visit.  This time there was a female Hooded Merganser.

I have only seen a male Hooded Merganser in the distance before.  This is the first female I have been able to take photos of...

and I took several.  In her first pose she appeared to be looking for fish?

But she never left her perch and I just kept taking photos, as did others.  She attracted several of us and I heard one person get very excited saying she was about to go into her nest.  By this time I was walking in the other direction, and I was satisfied with our time spent with this pretty bird.

Now would be a good time to finish today's post.  I have many more photos, too many I thought to include here.  I saved them for tomorrow.

Have a good day everyone and thanks for keeping us company on our walk around Huntley Meadows.