Marsh Diaries Part Five

I thought camping weekends were supposed to be relaxing – I even brought a nice, thick book.

When we arrived on Saturday morning, the wind was howling in from the west. There were several family groups tucked up against the west shore, out of the force of the gale.The wind died down in the afternoon, and it turned into a warm, sunny day, perfect for a relaxing camping trip.

In the afternoon I laid down to take a short nap. I was just about 80% asleep when I heard a new, loud, bird noise. I was up and out the door with camera in hand before I was fully awake. A Baltimore Oriole in the spruce tree for heaven’s sake. Who would have expected this out here in the prairies?

Apparently, I remain on high alert in this place from pre-dawn until dusk – this place is lousy with birds. They’re in the trees, in the shrubs, on the ground, in the water, in the cattails, in the air…

Now it seems they are also in our camp spot. Last weekend, one of our neighbors noticed a bird flying into a little 5 ft spruce tree on the edge of our site. He watched for awhile, and when she flew out he came over to investigate. This weekend, he pointed the spot out to us, and this is what we found.

Yes there really are eight eggs in that tiny little nest – it’s about 5″ across, and barely 3 feet off the ground. Two of the eggs are just slightly bigger than the rest. We are apparenty sharing our campsite with a Brewer’s blackbird – give or take a couple of Brown-headed cowbirds. Eight eggs??

I haven’t seen any Brewer’s since we started coming out here, which makes me think I’m guilty of birders assumption – maybe those weren’t Common Grackles I just glanced at because I knew what they were. Hmmm. And yes, both the nest and the bird picture above are heavily cropped.

There is a row of thick shrubs – Empidonax Woods – along the lake, just below our camp. Said shrubs are positively briming with flitting little birds jumping around after insects. I had a quick glimpse of a Yellow-warbler, heard several unknown bird calls, and managed to take a picture of what I think is an Eastern Phoebe. Never having seen one before (!) though, I would welcome another opinion.

Our walk around the lake Saturday evening had me creeping up on this bird, that looked like either a hawk or an owl from a distance. We kept sneaking closer until we had an ID, but I’ll leave you to work this one out. Comments, anyone?

It took me a long time to fall asleep on Saturday night. The coyotes were in full force, and their yip yip yip or youooouooo carries a long way at night. The next morning my bleary eyes noticed the lake was like glass – not a breath of wind or a cloud in sight.

I was changing the batteries in my camera when I head a loud splash behind me. Whipping around, I discovered a White Pelican had just made a noisy landing. As I hadn’t even had any coffee at this point, I couldn’t really remember all my swear words. Fortunately the big guy hung around long enough for some pictures. Now I know why people carry more than one camera at the ready at all times.

There are so many birds here it’s doing my head in. Sunday morning I thought I had a handle on the bird life around me, when I happened to notice something rather large flying over the lake. Up went the camera, and to my surprise, I ended up with an American Bittern in flight. While over my other shoulder, there were three Red-tailed Hawks floating overhead. Not only do I need two cameras, but also another set of hands and/or eyes. Anybody want to come and help?

There is just too much going on out here for one blog post –  I may have WAY TOO MANY pictures… Be sure and check back for Wednesday Wings, when I’m going to post a surprise to test your birding mettle!

Next weekend I think I’ll just leave the book at home.

Bird List:

• Double-crested Cormorant
• American Bittern
• American Wigeon
• Franklin’s Gull
• Red-tailed Hawk
• Rock Dove
• Baltimore Oriole
• Barn Swallow
• Eastern Phoebe
• Brewer’s Blackbird

Total Count so far: 52 species