Shhhh... (we're going into the Swamp)

Yes, we are going into the swamp.  Don't worry, we are going in a kayak.  We are looking for dragonflies, but we will probably get distracted.  That is the way of swamps.

Please read this in a whisper (even if you are reading it 'in your head'). That is how you should talk in a swamp, so you can listen for things like the sounds the cattails make when the wind stirs them.

It is mid-morning, so it's not too hot yet.  Dragonflies should be still, waiting for the day to warm up before they fly.  So, we'll need to search for them.  Keep your eye out for them on possible perches!

Meanwhile, the king of the swamp will keep his eye on us, and stay at the far end of the swamp.  Do you see him there... way in the distance?

 He's watching.  But let's try not to get distracted by birds.  We are looking for dragonflies.

None here.

Or here.  Though it is a fascinating miniature 'world' on a fallen log.  I wonder how many kinds of plants a botanist could identify in that small area of the swamp?

We startle two Wood Ducks, who then use their feet to paddle as fast as they can for cover.  Look at the wake they left behind!

Snapping pictures from a kayak can be challenging, and I almost deleted the next one.  Then on close inspection of it, I saw the ducks had not quite disappeared into the safety of the cattails.  Can you pick them out?

We've been very slowly floating along, only paddling once and awhile.  Now,  I'll push our kayak into some vegetation to anchor the boat for awhile.  Maybe some dragonflies will come flying by.  Instead I hear the high-pitched buzzes of Cedar Waxwings.  Where are they?

There are three Waxwings in this photo!

As they get used to our presence, they land on perches closer and closer.

They fly out and back, in a manner called 'hawking' as they catch and eat flying insects.  One eventually feels comfortable enough to preen on a limb near the kayak.

There must be tiny insects flying about, but I still haven't seen a single dragonfly!  There are other things to look at though.  I enjoy unique-looking reflections...

...and spend a good bit of time trying to get a focused photo of the tiny Bladderwort flowers.  They are only about 2" tall.

I spend more time taking a panoramic photo of the swamp, looking in the direction of our house.

I like to look at this clump of driftwood (can it be called driftwood in a swamp?) from our house, now we can see it up close from the kayak.

I keep looking for dragonflies, really I do! But there were none on that picturesque spot either.

As we float by one of the Wood Duck boxes, I wonder if there was a nest in it this year.  

I'll find out next winter when I can walk on the ice to check inside.  Now it's time to head back toward the dock.

I don't use the dock anymore (I don't think I need to explain why!), but it's still where I put the boat in and out of the water. 

But wait!  Something goes zooming by and lands on a muddy pile of 'stuff'.  

Finally, a dragonfly!  It's a pretty one, too.... red or would you say it's orange?  I don't know much about dragonflies except that I think they are neat.  My brother said he would come to visit if I found a rare one.  Well, brother??? 

I'd say, "to be continued" but that will remain to be seen!  






 

Swamp Things - Morning and Evening

There is a large swamp across the road from our house.  If the idea of a swamp fills you with thoughts of a dark, damp, dismal place, well, I have to tell you, you are not of like-mind with me!  Our swamp is a place of wonder... filled with beautiful creatures and scenery.

I think the nicest times of day to wander along the swamp are in the early morning and the late evening.  In our swamp, late evening has the nicest 'light'.  This is because when the sun is setting, it fills the area with sunlight over the water and trees.  If the air is still, there are usually pretty reflections in the water.

In the morning, the sun comes up over the hill behind the swamp, which is pretty, too!

Our road parallels the edge of the swamp.  While it's sometimes annoying to have a car or truck go by on the road while I'm filming a video... the road also makes it easy for me to walk along the swamp to see what's going on.  

Lately, there's been a lot going on!

Remember the mallards from my "Just Ducky" post?  I saw them early this morning and wonder if this is their nest?

If you look carefully in the next 'morning' shot, you can see the ducks on their little mound, in the distant middle right of the photo.

There are several pairs of Canada geese nesting in the swamp this year, too.

In the photo above, some of them swimming around in the early morning.  The sun is shining on the hill in the right of the background, while the swamp is still in the shadows.  The water looks different in the morning, often it is dark with little sparkles in it.

One of their nests was left untended while the geese were parading around.  Can you tell if it is morning or evening?

Yes, that one is in the evening light.
 
In a 'morning' photo, the great-blue heron didn't seem too happy to have this goose swim close by his fishing spot.

No matter, he got lucky and caught a catfish for his breakfast soon enough!

Here's a video of the events of him, after catching the fish until he finally swallowed it!  (You can hear the geese honking in the background, a hoard of red-winged blackbirds "oka-lee-ing" and a vehicle going by on the road near the end).

 
And this goose had something good to eat for dinner, too, apparently.

Something down there must have been really tasty, by the way he was paddling to keep his head under the water.

Meanwhile, our tree swallows arrived back this week.  It was so cold on Sunday morning, when there were 20 of them on the wire over our driveway, that I worried about what they would find to eat.  There didn't seem to be any flying insects around, but I guess they made out okay.

That morning, they were fluffed out trying to stay warm...

... but this afternoon, I saw one feeding another in an act of courtship, looking nice and warm and gleaming in the bright sunshine.

I love watching the tree swallows soaring over our house and the swamp.  They are such fantastic flyers!

Of course on sunny days, the painted turtles are favorites of mine, too.  No soaring for them, but they are still fun to watch.  I'm not sure where the little one in the next photo thought he was going.  Maybe up on the back of the bigger one?

I'm excited to say that I saw a beaver in the swamp on Friday evening.  We haven't seen any for awhile.  First, it was heading right towards me.

Probably because I was watching this spot (where he was also heading) about 7:30 pm.

My brother-in-law had cut some poplar branches from up on the hill (one of beaver's favorite foods) and put them near the swamp, hoping a beaver would find them.  

Chomp, chomp, chomp.... I could hear the beaver eating!

The sun has already gone down in the next photo, but the geese are still flying around.  So, while not a very good photo (not enough 'light' left), I like it because you can see the white "V" they have in their tails from this viewpoint.

One final 'evening' photo, of some grackles. They are not typically thought of as 'lovely' (possibly like you thought of a 'swamp' before this post?), but pretty in this setting, I think.

Now I hope you see why I think a swamp is a beautiful place!



 

Sittin' on the Dock of the Swamp

Sung to the tune of... well, I think you know the tune!  (with apologies to Otis Redding).

Sittin’ in the afternoon sun
I won’t be sittin’ when the evening comes
Cause my camera battery won’t last that long
And mosquitos would be drivin’ me home, yeah

 I’m sitting on the dock of the swamp
Watchin’ the dragonflies play, ooh
I’m just sittin’ on the dock of the swamp
Wastin’ time

I left my home a short distance away
Headed for where green herons play
Cuz I’ve got my binoculars and my SX-50
Waiting to see what’s gonna come my way

Green Heron

Cedar Waxwing 'hawking' for insects to eat

So, I’m just gon’ sit on the dock of the swamp
Watchin’ the wood ducks pass by, ooh
I’m sittin’ on the dock of the swamp
Wastin’ time

Looks like things might change
If a board gives way I won’t remain the same
But I can’t worry about that now
So I guess I’ll remain, listen

Sittin’ here resting my bones
Not lonely cause it's so beautiful  and it’s home
Only a few hundred yards I roam
Just to make this dock my own, now

I’m just gon’ sit on the dock of the swamp
Watchin’ hawks and listenin’ to marsh sounds, ooh
Sittin’ on the dock of the swamp
Wastin’ time

Red-tailed Hawk (with snake?)

(Ends in harmonic whistling of birds, and also some squawking by the Green Heron)
Note: All photos were taken this afternoon except the one of the house (taken on a kayaking excursion) and the two of the cedar waxwing which were shot on July 17th but I couldn't resist putting them in.