Nuke Plant Nature Area -- November 6th, 2011

This was from almost a couple weeks ago. It was a bright sunny day, a good day just to be out & about, but I didn't expect to see much. There were a few dozen Mallards on the pond but nothing unusual.

Then I noticed a female Mallard swimming in circles around a male with her head touching the water. It looked weird. The male didn't seem particularly interested in her display.

I remembered reading about courtship displays of Mallards but I thought this was the wrong time of year for courtship. Apparently not. A bit of research explained that Mallards do their courtship and mating in October-November typically, but the young aren't born until the next spring.

And the head-down swimming the female was doing is known as nod-swimming.  Males do it too. The nod-swimming was followed by some head-bobbing of both male & female and then they mated.

He did say something to her here.

Here's a link to a short video that shows the nod-swimming, head-bobbing & mating. It's from the BBC.

http://www.arkive.org/mallard/anas-platyrhynchos/video-09b.html

There were 10 or so Bufflehead Ducks on the pond too. They were just enjoying the day though.

Nice light on a barn on the way home.

- fini - 

A link to my previous posts (non-2nd Marsh):
  http://rgbell.ca/3

A link to my previous posts of 2nd Marsh:
  http://rgbell.ca/2

Nuke Plant Nature Area -- August 30th, 2011

Under the heading of "you never know what you're going to see", my surprise today was seeing over 50 Midland Painted Turtles in the pond... pretty much every log in the pond was covered with them. There were a couple of Great Egrets, a Great Blue Heron, the resident pair of Mute Swans, a few Cormorants and a few Mallards too.

The reeds made it impossible to get clear shots of some of the gatherings. I count at least 33 in this shot... including a couple heads poking through the water surface.

A pretty good balancing act...

Ma & Pa and one of the kids?

Chicory...

Locust tree seed pods.

One of the swans... and more turtles.

A Common Moorhen...

Cormorants have a way of putting their noses in the air while they're swimming.

Great Blue Heron

Cormorant lift-off

On the way home from the nuke plant I dropped by 2nd Marsh. This pair of Cormorants was in the channel and what with it being "turtle day", one was with them.

I saw about a dozen Great Blues at the marsh. As usual, some of them were sharing the raft with Cormorants.

These Great Egrets were squabbling over something. 

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"The Nuke Plant" Nature Area -- July 1st, 2011

Not sure what the proper name for the area is (it's beside our local Darlington Nuclear Station) but we always refer to it as 'the Nuke Plant'. It's a quiet area and most people you meet are walking their dogs or just walking or jogging the loop around the pond. I think some people avoid the area thinking that they may start glowing in the dark after their visit.

These male Mallards are molting and will soon look more like females than males.
After the Mallard drakes abandon their mates to the job of raising the young, they fly to a secluded area and undergo their annual molt. The molting of their wing feathers leaves them temporarily flightless. They are no longer displaying their courtship plumage, but a drab "eclipse" plumage that is similar to that of a female. It provides better camouflage against predators while their wing feathers grow back. The entire process takes 2 to 3 weeks. The hens go through a similar molt once their ducklings have fledged. Source: http://www.squidoo.com/mallard

The beautiful green sheen on their heads is almost gone.

These turtles don't look very comfortable. Looks like they're keeping an eye on the swan.

I'll keep an eye on him.

Common Moorhen

He doesn't seem to be intimidated by his big cousin.      

There's been a pair of Mute Swans at the pond for several years now. The female (in front) is swimming in "one-leg up" mode.

They're voracious eaters, having their heads submerged most of the time it seems. This one is enjoying some reeds.

Now & then you're reminded that civilization is close by. Three or four trains 'flew' by in the hour or so that we were there.

Swimming in the reeds... a pretty sight.

These are pretty too and plentiful in the area.

From John...
Crown Vetch. It is a useful invasive for binding soil and preventing erosion. Some farmers use it for crop rotation. It also smells good when in super abundance.

- fini -