BeautifulMorning To Be Swamp Sitting

Appear to be a pair of Ring Necked Dusk. The stayed pretty elusive !

On my hike out this Yellow Bellied Sap Sucker was hammering the tree along with being vocal.

Hi efforts paid off! Wasn't long before a female showed up.
Jim

The Quabbin swamp I visited was full of life.  Listening to the peepers was a sure sign spring has arrived. Just a week ago there was still a lot of ice cover. Now ( pictured above)  the turtles are enjoying the warmth of the sun,

Otter kept  me on my feet trying to get a picture.

Wood Ducks were flying in and out. None offered a close caption.

Jim

Eagles Were Plentiful

A beautiful morning to sit along the shoreline  in anticipation of something flying by.

I certainly didn't expect this to happen! Not one one hundred feet from where I was sitting a immature eagle landed on the shoreline on the back side of a small bush.

The eagle new something was up with the first picture. It didn't take long before it took to the air.

Once it flew into the sun light I was able to get a few decent pictures,
It didn't take long before a couple of Honkers tested me with a BIF picture.

Jim

Pockets Of Open Water

A little breezy on Saturday !

However , finding  open pockets of water would provide picture opportunities, Sitting just inside the shoreline tree cover  the eagle on the title page presented a pic.

It was about to land in a white pine tree until my movement caught its attention.

These two male wood ducks made for a colorful picture.

The last cove I checked presented a quick birds in flight of mergansers walking on water

Jim

Never Know What You Might See !

Hiking A NE Gate to the water (ice) presented an eventful morning.
Once reaching the ice, distant  movement  caught my attention. About a half mile down the reservoir and a good distance from the shoreline sat two mature bald eagles.

Off I went closing as much distance as possible. Arriving at a small point was as close as this situation was going to present. It didn't take long for things to  become interesting. Two immature eagles came into view with one of them thinking its was going to take the small scrap from the mature eagle ( pic on title page)
A " CLASH" it was!

The mature eagle managed to keep the scrap and the immature eagle headed east flying over my head.

 The confrontation took place quite a distance out on the ice. The pictures poor as they may be, support the sequence of events. Sure made for an interesting and eventful morning.

Jim

A nice hike this morning along a NE Gate. One small area show signs of " Maybe" Spring.

Then hiking just a short distance one would wonder if Spring would ever return,

I did see three eagles this morning. This eagle glided out of a  tree a short distance in front of me.
I stumbled upon a colleague hid in the shoreline trees watching over the reservoir. He shared a beautiful picture he shot this morning of a Marsh Hawk.

Jim

Always Be Looking

A favorite NE Gate gave up one mature eagle , several wood ducks and two male mageansers.
It was certainly better weather than yesterday morning.
A short distance from Quabbin I cauaght a glimpse of this osprey off in the distance. The opportunity was very brief.

One fast picture and this raptor was air borne.

It would appear that central Massachusetts has a nesting pair of Osprey's
Jim