April 9th. One of two Great Blue Herons (Ardea herodius) at Raymond Brook Marsh.

 

Thirteen Painted Turtles (Chrysemys picta) at Norton's Pond.

 

 

 

 

 

Tree reflections.

 

Lots of lily pads coming to the surface.

 

Great Blue Heron taking off...

 

...and flying to the eastern end of the pond.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) circling high overhead.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum).

 

 

 

A pair of Wood Ducks (Aix sponsa) down by the second (westward) beaver dam.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

April 11th. A nice morning but a bit chilly.

 

 

 

Ring-necked Ducks (Aythya collaris) at Norton's Pond.

 

 

 

April 12th. A walk east from Depot Hill Road in Cobalt. Entering the rock cut...

 

...where I expected to find Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara).

 

First I saw a patch of Coltsfoot leaves. (You can imagine how it got its common name.)

 

A bit further east, there was a large patch of Coltsfoot in bloom.

 

The flowers are superficially similar to Dandelions.

 

 

 

 

 

Among other things, Coltsfoot flowers are much smaller.

 

I turned back where the trail is interrupted by a stream that flows through a tunnel under Route 66.

 

Power lines have been rerouted away from that section but plans to connect across the gap haven't progessed over the past several years..

 

Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale) were blooming too.

 

Dandelion roughly translates as "tooth of the lion" for the fine teeth at the tips of the peripheral ray flowers.

 

 

 

 

 

At Cranberry Bog, the mother Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) is dutifully sitting on her eggs.

 

Dad remains on guard about 150 feet away.

 

The pony across Smith Street from Cranberry Bog.