Day After Christmas

One of the best things about Christmas is the extra time off of work, and extra hikes around the park. It had snowed late on Christmas day and we had been dusted with about 2-3 inches of fluffy snow. It clung to the trees everywhere at the park today and set a nice background for a few bright red Northern Cardinals. I watched them for a while on the wood chip trail as I made my way to the duck pond. When I got to the duck pond I quickly spotted one unusual Mallard –pure white, but apparently not an albino. I've seen similar white Mallards here in the past, hanging out with the larger group and I wonder if somehow it might be the same one. It did not have pink eyes but dark so it's possible that it's an escaped domestic of some kind. Regardless it was a fairly pretty sight to watch it swim around the dark water. The other Mallards weren't giving it a hard time or anything and it seemed pretty content, sometimes closing it's eyes as it stood on the ice. After I left the duck pond I spotted three large birds flying overhead and realized they were Trumpeter Swans! I've not seen a Swan here at the park for maybe a couple of years or more and though these were just a flyover, I was happy to spot some! I only caught two of the three in this photo.

Coldest Walk So Far...

This Saturday was only 10º when I arrived at the park around 10am. It seemed like a bit of a shock to nature as well as there wasn't much of anything happening. Though I know there are still Deer left after the special hunt this fall, I've not seen one for quite some time. Though cold today, it's not been cold for long enough to freeze all the water. Between the two furthest east bodies of water is "kind of" a creek that flows just enough to help keep it from freezing quickly. Here the Robins have taken up residence in much larger numbers this year versus last. Occasionally they will drop down to the water's edge for a drink or sometimes a quick bath. I'm still seeing a good variety of the "normal" winter birds including Chickadees, Juncos, Nuthatches and Starlings, although the Cardinals seem to be sparse as of late. Also seeing a good variety of Woodpeckers including Downy, Hairy (pictured), Red-bellied and even a nice big Pileated today. I heard the Pileated in the woods and went in closer for a photo but didn't manage to get one. As he flew off he had his back to me and I was able to see a quick flash of white strips on his wings.