January 8th. Out midday to see how the trail was doing after roughly 8 inches of snow over the past two days.

 

The marsh iced over and the beaver lodge covered with snow. A couple I know said they'd seen the Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola), but I missed it.
Note the white structure on the horizon...

 

That building is massive! ...and well over a mile away.

 

Snow captured and feathered on what I suspct is a massive Poison Ivy vine.

 

 

 

I see the duck hunter had been out earlier. His boat left this v-shaped drag trail.

 

January 9th. The trail to the marsh in pretty good shape, though all that will change later and overnight with heavy rain and wind.

 

Yay, the male Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) was exactly where he's been for the past week or so...

 

...diving to feed.

 

 

 

Scouting I assume.

 

 

 

He hops up to dive down.

 

His tail plays an important role in diving.

 

 

 

His left legs sticks out a lot; never the right one. Could he have been injured?

 

Scouting again.

 

This photo gives a sense of the small area he keeps free of ice. Everywhere else frozen over.

 

Starting to dive again.

 

Starting another dive.

 

 

 

Note, my previous page (https://performance-vision.com/airline2024/airline-winter-23-24d.html) includes a video of a dive.

 

January 10th. Roughly 5 inches of rain yesterday and overnight, combined with a temp of 55 degrees and THE SNOW AND ICE ARE GONE!

 

Guess who! Now with plenty of open water.

 

He soon paddled way far away.

 

The trail looked great...

 

...until I got past the beaver dam (now submerged below several feet of water) and started to see channel-side water on the trail.

 

In over 22 years walking the trail, this is the first time I've seen rushing water that deep on the channel side.

 

 

 

 

 

At this point, I turned around.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The path by the bench where recently duck hunters were stepping into the marsh. Too deep now, and today was the last day of duck hunting until Fall, meaning the Bufflehead and the Mallards are safe from being shot at for awhile. As I walked out, I spooked half a dozen Wood Ducks (Aix sponsa) near the spur junction.

 

January 11th. Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) around with no hunters to stalk them.

 

The first of three flights of Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) to take off from the now ice-free marsh.

 

The water level is back to near normal, though the Bufflehead seems to have moved on.

 

Patterns of lingering ice.

 

 

 

 

 

Sadly, some damage to the surface repairs made after the recent washouts. (Picture looking west.)

 

A brief walk east of Route 207, thinking the Bufflehead might be there. It wasn't, but I was rewarded with a group of Ring-necked Ducks (Aythya collaris).

 

Five males and one female. Um, this is January!