April 16th. Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodius) atop the wood duck house that was being scouted for a possible nesting site by a pair of tree swallows yesterday.

 

Time for some serious grooming.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quite the beard on this bird.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) are back at the other wood duck box.

 

Another female Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus).

 

An early flowering spring grass.

 

Afternoon. Momma Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) on her bed of cattail fluff at Cranberry Bog, as usual.

 

A Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta) not far away...

 

...along with three more.

 

s and

American Toads (Bufo americanus) in chorus and mating at the little pond west of Smith Street.

 

 

 

 

 

That's Duck Weed (Lemna minor) they're swimming through. One of the smallest flowering plants with just two tiny leaves and a root.

 

April 17th.

 

A fancy male Wood Duck (Aix sponsa).

 

 

 

A Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) in the spot where he sings every morning.

 

 

 

 

 

The Brownstone Bridge over River Road.

 

 

 

Maybe... a Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus). UPDATE: It is! Thanks, Russ, for the confirmation.

 

 

 

Trailing Arbutus (Epigaea repens) is mostly past blooming prime...

 

...but a few flowers were still in good shape.

 

 

 

Trailside falls.

 

Teeny ferns in a rock cut.

 

At the pond just east of River Road, believe it or not, there's an Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) in this photo.

 

This Osprey.

 

 

 

No change at the Cranberry Bog Canada Goose nest near Smith Street.

 

West of Smith Street, the Purple Trillium (Trillium erectum) flowers have opened.

 

Horses at the mini farmyard west of Smith Street.

 

And a cow not hiding very well behind a tree.

 

April 18th. American Robin (Turdus migratorius).