Author: Bob

Well, it’s been very busy around the pond, lately. I’m playing catch up and I’ll no doubt forget a few things. For one thing, the avian highway has become more cluttered than ever. We’ve had almost daily mallard and wood duck visitors. We’re hoping for a few more hooded mergansers such as the ones that came by a week ago. The first to visit our little pondarama. Yesterday morning brought us three mallards–two males and a female. They puttered around the edge of the pond, feeding on submerged vegetation. This is a process that involves submergence of their head and, as a result, pointing their posterior directly heavenward (a process, according to the gurus of duckdom, known as “dabbling”.) Not the best table manners, but such is the price of nourishment. At least in the mallardly world.  Three wood ducks came by in the afternoon and spent several hours diving for snacks. Unlike the more humble mallard, wood ducks are much more delicate in quest of their food. They pop out of sight as they submerge and pop up again 10 to 20 feet from where they first submerged. Thus wood ducks, hooded mergansers and their ilk have the good taste to dive for their food. Especially their ilk. No narcissists, they.

Four tom turkeys wandered through the yard in early afternoon. They may have gotten word of the absolutely shameful turkey bacchanalia that took place here a week ago. Probably angling to get in on the action. Too late. All of the hens are now walking around with big smiles on their faces–beaks–bills. Whatever.

Providing a little contrast to all of the bird action, four deer wandered through the yard at around sunset. They still wear their drab winter coats. Winter lingers on.
Today was warm enough to permit us to hang out on the porch and watch the critter action. Three mallards, two males and a female, visited in the morning. Don’t know what’s going on with all of these “threesomes”, but they’re mature ducks and who am I to judge?
Three more wood ducks arrived in mid-afternoon and spent the rest of the day diving in various areas around the pond, circumnavigating the island several times in the process. The male goose had taken some time off for a snooze and was floating around with his head tucked under his wing. They circled him several times, waking him, no doubt darkening his mood.

We have recently bought a wood duck house, planning to place it somewhere on the property in hopes of attracting a family of the little guys. In the process of boning up on wood ducks and their habits I’ve found that the female lays 12 to 14 eggs over the course of 10 or so days. 12 to 14! We think postpartum pain is a dilemma in the case of the human critter. I’ll venture that after the first brood, a female duck develops a permanent headache.

A beautiful early spring day around the pond today. Warm enough to spend about 4 hours watching critters from the porch. Two deer were grazing at the back of the pond when the sun came up. Just as the day was getting under way the air was shaken by the loud mating calls of about 20 turkeys. They were fully decked out in their finest dating garb, the males with feathers fully flared, tails spread, the air drenched in pharimones. Definitely an X-rated performance. In fact, downright embarrassing if you ask me.Turkey porn. But then, one shouldn’t be too surprised. Despite her normally delicate and ladylike demeanor, Mother Nature can occasionally be a dirty old broad. They staged quite a show as they marched around the front yard, demonstrating and flexiing whatever turkeys flex before leaving and disappearing into the woods. Don’t even want to know what happened next in this scandalous bird bacchanal. More X-rated stuff, I suppose. Pardon me while I cleanse my mind.
Two mallards arrived in mid-afternoon, grazing around the edges of the pond before moving on.
Unfortunately, Mom goose is now on a nest. She can be seen roosting behind a tree on the island. We’re going to be unwilling parents. Dad goose isn’t passing out cigars yet, but it won’t be long. Sigh.
About an hour before sunset we noticed slight motion at the back of the pond. Two beautiful little wood ducks came from behind the island and grazed near the porch before flying off south. All in all, a pretty nice way to end the day.

Well, it has been birds galore around the pond today. Four large toms began the show with a regal morning stroll through the yard These were followed by a pair of beautiful little wood ducks. They visited for about 3 hours while they dived for their breakfast. We were surprised by the later arrival of 2 pairs of magnificent little ducks who rivaled even the wood ducks in their sartorial refinement. They’re first time visitors to our humble little aviary. My ornithologically savvy sister informed us that they are hooded mergansers. Like the wood ducks, they’re divers. They spent the day puttering around the pond and were joined by 4 mallards, a pair and two males. Not sure what’s going on there and I didn’t ask. As darkness fell 20 turkeys ran single file from woods near the pond up the driveway into the woods. Not exactly the Rockettes, but about as close to a chorus line as turkeys get.

Things around the pond are showing subtle signs of approaching Spring. No greenery yet, but the light has taken on a warmer tone. There are subtle hints that Mother Nature may soon be changing her wardrobe to a more verdant hue. OK, maybe not soon and those may be the hopeful whimpers of a frost bitten brain. But the daffodils are up 6 inches and the cluttered flyways are clear indication that the birds know that Jack Frost’s days are on the wane. In fact, for the last 3 days, temps have warmed up enough for us to log a few hours of porch time.
As a result, we were able to greet the arrival of 2 pairs of wood ducks yesterday morning . While they were diving for sprouts of early spring grasses, 3 mallards–2 males and a female–arrived.. The wood ducks had finished breakfast and left for points south when the resident Canada geese arrived. Then something interesting happened. The three mallards made an immediate beeline to the geese and they all left the water for a small grassy area next to the edge of the pond where they remained for the rest of the day. May be common behavior, but it’s the first we’ve seen. One of the male mallards was eventually kicked out of the party. Probably became too boisterous or made a move on the lady goose. Anyway, he moved off to sulk at the back of the pond. Today was much a repeat of yesterday. And we were again on the porch to watch the entire show. Maybe Mother Nature is making that wardrobe change a little earlier this year.

Things around the pond during the last two days have been a riot of activity. The place has been a virtual aerodrome. Yesterday we were entertained by three female mallards who spent much of the day chasing each other around the pond. Don’t ask. Three Canada geese were also on site, but that situation quickly dissolved into feather flying warfare in which the third goose was soon the odd goose out, Geese are not only ornery cusses but also very territorial. Four more turkeys dropped by and things wrapped up with a couple more mallards. Today began with a rather embarrassing incident. We awoke to find a male turkey looking in our dining room window, clearly in love with its reflection. It was all decked out its finest of mating garb, spreading tail feathers and all. Again, don’t ask. It continued to woo its reflection and peck on the window for a half hour until it apparently got the message that this was not a pick up prospect. Has to be the worst kind of unrequited love. Gotta admit, I was sorry and a little embarrassed for him. Two more pairs of mallards and and four turkeys rounded out the day. Our resident geese are, of course, still here. Not sure whether to be complemented or irritated. Guess it depends on what I do or don’t step in on any given day.

It’s been difficult to keep up with things going on around the pond lately. It’s the season when everything and everybody seem to happen at the same time. Even the fish are shaking their lethargy. The grass carp are beginning to patrol the edges of the pond in anticipation of that first piquant nibble of spring grass. Wood ducks and mallards have been frequent visitors on their way south to warmer weather and larger families. At least one pair of mallards has shown up each day for the past week and four big tom turkeys dropped in last night. A small herd of 4 deer seems to have adopted us. I suppose we’ll soon be godparents, its being the time of year when the does drop their fawns. During the past, does have occasionally hidden their newborn fawns in or near our rock garden while they went foraging. Today’s big treat was a flock of about 20 turkeys that grazed their way through the front yard and on into the woods. The geese are still hanging around, but are showing their faces less and less frequently. Which bodes ill because that probably means that they’re settling into a nest somewhere at the back of the pond. Mom goose is doing the characteristic prenatal goose routine of settling on her belly in the front yard and ripping off any blade of grass that has the temerity to wander within her neck range. The stink bugs, though they’re waging a vigorous rear guard action, seem to be on the wane and with them my suspicion that they must be the NY State bird. May the gods of entymology forever ban their odoriferous little bodies forever from our threshold. At least until next November.

Well things around the pond have been so busy lately that I may accidentally omit a thing or two from this brief update. To begin, the previously mentioned vanguard of migrating water birds has arrived–in droves–along with squadrons of its feathered followers. The last time I updated our avian inventory, I mentioned that we had been visited by several flights of beautiful wood ducks, mallards and a pair of pretty but unwelcome geese. Who, incidentally, are still here and beginning to act like they not only own the place, but plan on moving in and picking out wallpaper for a nursery. Hate to sound un-neighborly, but these are the kind of folks for whom one does not call in the welcome wagon. That is, unless you enjoy neighbors who poop all over your yard then unleash a brood of unruly billed brats who follow their example.
Moving on, some of the rest of our avian inventory includes 4 wood ducks last Mon. 2 mallards and 2 wood ducks mid-week, and 3 mallards today, 2 males and a female. Must be a busy lady. In fact, she looked a bit tired. So the local airways are well populated.
Not so with the denizens of the deep. The unusually cold winter has kept the pond water very cold. Fish, being cold blooded, derive their body temps from the surrounding environment–water. In this case, very cold water. The colder the water, the colder the fish. The colder the fish, the more lethargic it is. Its metabolism cranks way down and its needs for nourishment approach zero. It reaches a state that the ichthyologists call stupor. Sort of hibernation light, The fish then tend to cluster in areas of the “warmest” water they can find. That means on or near the bottom of the pond. Cold water being less dense than warm it moves to the top of the pond in cold temps. And all of this because fish are cold blooded–or poikilothermic. Love that word. Makes me sound like I know what I’m talking about. Poikilothermic. Poikilothermic.
That’s the latest from around the pond. Birds fly. Fish slumber. And we wait for warmer weather.

bj

Well, things around the pond have livened up considerably. Now that we’re well into March, temps notwithstanding, the official beginning of Spring is not far away. This seems to have gotten the critters attention, as several have emerged from their respective critter holes and dropped by for a visit. During the past four days, we’ve been favored by groups of 3, then 2 wood ducks. The little Beau Brummels of avian persuasion–and our favorites. Two sets of Canada geese (pretty but dirty). And a skunk, someone new this year. Actually they are a beautiful animal. but as most know, they possess a deadly hose. We suspect that we may have a new crop of grubs in the yard–a skunk’s ambrosia. Some robins have arrived. Some frigid temps are on the way, so they’ll no doubt think that they started summer vacations a little bit early. A big Tom Turkey showed up today. No doubt cruising for a date. Spring, when a young turkey’s heart turns to–well, you know. But this guy looked pretty old, so wild oats are more likely on his menu than in his date book. And, of course, one has to admire the temerity of the small birds who brave the predator filled airways that lead them to their summer homes. But predators have to eat too. Mother Nature has no favorites.

Well, as one might expect, things around the pond have been quite placid, with Old Man Winter still reluctant to yield his frigid grip on Mother Nature. Wonder if he can be forced into resignation over that. Is there such a thing as consensual winter?
Be that as it may, there appears to be a little isobaric relief in store on the weather map. We’re supposed to reach into the lofty 50s this coming week. In fact it was warm enough last week, with a little solar assistance from the upper porch windows, to spare us two short but cozy days on the porch. Not much action from a critter aspect, the local deer preferring nocturnal to daylight raids on my lovely bride’s dwindling greenery. This frigid winter has brought and maintained a steady bird clientele to the feeders–cardinals, junkos, nuthatches, titmice and their other aviary pals. Speaking of which, we’re keeping our eyes open for the vanguard of migrating waterfowl. There’s also the possibility of an early rising Mom Bear and her winter progeny. They have been known to give the birds some serious spring competition on the feeders, usually resulting in the end of that. A litter of plastic and metal former feeders will attest to that.
All of that aside, the stink bug stampede continues unabated. Shari carries nobly on, waging a war which has now become one of attrition. Except that nobody seems to be attriting. I lay my money, however, on Shari. Her persistence is legendary.
As for the stink bugs, I’ve about concluded that they are a super intelligent race of aliens, ridden here from the Triangulum Galaxy on the backs of the most recent Perseid meteor shower. I’m sure that they’re determined to overcome us by way of superior form of biological reproduction.