Sapsucker!.....

I was thrilled to see a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (?) on the maple tree the other day!  I haven't seen one for a couple of years.  I don't see a white wing patch, but don't see how it can be anything else.

 It appears to be a juvenile.....seems late in the year.

I can see a tiny bit of red right above the beak.

He was way up high on the tree....I'm sure you can tell that by the angle.  His back really blends.  If he hadn't been moving around a little bit, I might have missed seeing him.

I hope he comes back and tries the lower part of the tree so I can get better photos.

Wetlands walk part 2....Canada Geese

Here are the rest of my wetlands photos....mostly Canada Geese!

 There were groups of 7-8 geese in several different locations with a few Mallard Ducks scattered around.

 This group of geese were the closest to the bridge where we were standing and they were willing to pose for me.

 Head tilting.....do I look better to them that way??

 Grooming on the log

 "Anything to eat here?"

 Goose on guard duty.

 Serenity

 My photos didn't end up where I wanted them, so we have an interlude......we were curious about this sturdy looking nest.

 The reflections were very nice on the water and I like to play with them on the computer, adding color and contrast, but I will just show the originals here.

 Some dead water grasses....they were fun to add color to.

This one I colored up a bit.

 The white Sycamores stand out this time of year.

 A trio

 Flapping away, stretching the wings....showing off.

 Trio #2

 Setting sail upstream

The End

Walking at the wetlands in winter....

We took a walk at the wetlands the other day and it is interesting to see the difference between this time of  year and summer or spring.  Few birds were around, no green plants or flowers, no butterflies and bugs.  But the Canada Geese were there and a few ducks and the stark trees and things that I don't always see when everything is lush and green.

 It was warm enough that a few turtles were out with the geese on the logs of the creek area.

Not a great shot, but this little wren was sitting in the reeds.

The reeds reflected in the water.  It was a great day for reflections of all kinds!

Two turtles sharing a log

Up front on the slough waters there were a mismatched pair of ducks.......a young Mallard male?....

.....and the last of the resident "manky" Mallards.

Fungi covering a stump near the creek

"Alone"

 Bark

 I like this steel/wood bridge, although it is hot to lean your arms on in the summer.

 One of the wooden bridges

Fungi high up on a tree in the woods

 The sunlit grasses....couldn't seem to catch just how pretty they looked.

 A nice little flock of Canada Geese were in the creek.  I took lots of photos of them :-)

 Dipping and dripping

A family portrait?

More in my next post.

Trip to Henderson.....

We keep looking for the large masses of Snow Geese and White-Front Geese that are usually here this time of year over in Henderson, KY.  We went one day this past week to check on them.

Being a holiday there were scads of hunters out in the fields around the preserve area.  I think it was spooking the geese.  We saw this one flurry of them rise up out of the corn way back off the road where I couldn't see them well or take good photos.  That was the largest group we saw.  I don't know if our unseasonably warm weather is making a difference in the numbers or if they just took a different route this year, but so far we have not seen the large numbers we usually see.  We'll keep checking on them at least once a week.

Looking at the water here, you can tell the Snow Geese have been there....little white feathers everywhere!  We saw this pair of Shovelers, and that duck behind them, I think, is a Gadwall after consulting with my blogging buddies who know ducks better than I do.

Another shot of them shoveling away for food.

The Shovelers were fairly close to the road in one of the flooded fields and there were several pair.

The female Shoveler

We also saw Mallards and Coots.

The "Coot Armada" swimming away from me when we stopped the car.

This Coot dug up a tasty plant to eat.

Hiding in the high grass

Picking along the edges of the water.  I was hoping for a shot of their big feet :-)

We saw several swarms of Red-wing Blackbirds in the fields.  Not a great shot but it gives you an idea of the numbers.

Our temps are so warm at the moment that I saw daffodil greens poking up already!  Not a good thing....much too early.  I assume this warmer spell won't last.

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When not out looking for birds I have been doing a lot of quilting.  Just finished all the squares for this scrappy quilt top.  Still have to decide if it gets some borders or more squares to make it a bit larger.  I love working with all the bright colors in the wintertime.