More wet weather

This June has been one of the wettest I can remember. I heard somewhere that it's rained the last 21 of 27 days or something like that. With lakes and rivers being down for a long time, it's about time for another 10-year cycle into wetter weather. Dark rain clouds loomed overhead threatening to dump even more rain on the already saturated ground. There was a whole lot of nothin' movin' around in the park tonight except for another Hummingbird in the very same dead tree as last week. I took a few more pics which weren't any better than last week. On the south side I noticed a few clumps of these yellowish fungus. They looked more like they should be underwater in a deep blue ocean than growing on a trail of woodchips in central Minnesota. Having seen mutlitudes of various fungi at Palmer Lake, I'm guessing they present just as much or more to learn about than the all the species of Minnesota birds. Before leaving, I noticed that the tall clumps of grass that were resting stops for ducks, geese and swans this spring are now nearly underwater. At this point the water is for sure higher than when I went Kayaking back in mid-May.

Unexpected sights

I skipped the wood chip trail today in favor of the pavement as it's seriously just too wet and muddy lately. On a part of the paved trail I would have normally passed, I noticed this odd looking, down covered bird high up in a tree. The only thing really recognizable was the fat, red beak which means it must be an adolescent Cardinal. I still can't tell whether male or female, though there was a hint of red in it's wings. Though it wasn't raining today, everything is saturated with moisture from our persistent rainy weather. I don't know why but water droplets seem to stay nice and neat on the tall wild grass even long after a rainfall. On the south side I stopped to take some more pictures of another squawking Catbird when I noticed a little fur-ball scurrying around on the wood chip trail. It was winter time when I'd last seen a Vole so it was kind of cool to see another in late Spring. Like last time, I was able to quietly walk right up to him and get some closeups as he quietly munched upon some dead oak leaves from last season. I get the feeling they hear or sense movement better than see it. Just reading in my Mammals of Minnesota Field Guide by Stan Tekiela that there are at least 3 kinds of voles -and this is likely a "Meadow Vole."

Yet more rain

Surprisingly it was not raining as I set out Saturday morning but that only lasted so long. On the northeast side I spotted a single Doe near the Buckthorn trees. She stayed mostly out of sight, only just peaking at me from behind the leaves. The park was extra still and I think all the wildlife is just trying to wait out the rain -which came once again about 30 minutes into my walk. The water levels in the park are becoming extraordinarily high -noticeably higher even than when I went out kayaking in mid-May. I may just have to go again if it keeps up! The only thing moving after the rain started were Red-winged Blackbirds. I wish I'd had a better camera as this one looked right at me while the rain streaked down.

Palmer Lake Blog turns one year old!

Today, marks exactly one full year since my first post in 2009! I had no idea when I started that I would discover such a passion for nature photography. I'm now seriously considering some better camera equipment but probably won't bite the bullet until this Fall. This will be my 96th post which would mean I've visited the park an average of every 3.8 days! The first thing that caught my eye today was another Wood Duck. This one had seven babies trailing behind and I'm seeing more of the same in other parts of the park. There's sure to be plenty of Wood Ducks at Palmer Lake for a while. On the west side I spotted my first deer in over two weeks. This doe was by herself -also an unusual sight this spring. She posed for a quick pic and stayed there even after I passed. Later as I was heading along the creek towards the lake overlook, I spotted yet another lone doe. This one was standing right along the creek bank on the opposite side. I'd never seen a deer in that area before -and, it was very close to where I'd seen the Coyote about a month ago. The deer are almost orange in color now, especially against the green foliage.

Quiet evening, one new bird

The last couple of days were overcast with slight rain and this evening was the same. I couldn't believe how dead the park was. It was just quiet as heck -even the birds weren't moving. Then bam, like someone turned off the faucet, the sky cleared up in the west and sun bolted through lighting up the horizon. It was pretty late in the day though and for the most part, nature seemed to be still asleep. Upon rounding the northeast corner though, I spotted what I thought was a dead leaf still clinging to the top of a bare tree. When it didn't seem to change direction correctly with the wind, I realized it must be a SMALL bird. Only after zooming in all the way with my camera did I recognize the long skinny beak and realize it was a Hummingbird! This was pretty cool to see way up in the treetops and not anywhere near a feeder. One tends to only see these birds within the vicinity of a nectar feeder where they are easy to spot. It's amazing how small they are when you can place them in the same woods as other birds. Later at the south side I spotted my first Monarch Caterpillar in years. As a kid I used to go out and harvest these by the dozens, feeding them in a small aquarium and watching them cocoon and hatch into butterflies. Seems like there are fewer and fewer of them these days so it was fun to spot this one -less than an inch long yet.

Into June

Just off the wood chip trail on the south side near the parking lot is a little swampy body of water that tends to scum-over quite early in the season. Though it's small it's been home to muskrat, turtles and ducks. This evening there were two male Wood Ducks together on the far end -adding to my already large list of Wood Duck sightings this year! Near the west side there are some high treetops that are a great place to see birds of all kinds. There I spotted my first Cedar Waxwing of the year. They are relatively easy to spot at they have a very smooth, glossy look to them. I've yet to learn any of their calls but will hopefully be seeing more of them. The periodic rain I'd mentioned earlier has become more frequent and the water levels are now rising slowly but steadily. The same mound of earth and grass that was home to Trumpeter Swans this April is now much smaller and claimed by the spring Mallards.