Summer at the Swamp

Water Lilies 7-5-11

Summer days are upon us now and if I go to the swamp in the morning I am sure to see the water lilies open to the sun. The birds of the swamp have settled into their summer routines. Some have already raised one brood of birds and are starting on the next. Each visit to the swamp has something in common with the last visit, yet something is always changing. There is always something new.

On my walk to the swamp I travel down shady streets lined with maples and oaks.

 

Often the chipmunks squeal and scamper out into the street before rushing off into yards or the surrounding woodlands.

I pass a few wildflowers as I go…

…and manicured yards with blooms aplenty.

The swamp that looked bare and cold in April…

…is now bursting with growth and green.

On June 2, 2011 I found this family of geese close enough to photograph with my Nikon Coolpix.

I am amazed at how much the mourning doves like the swamp. I see them here more now than I do at my feeders!

I was so pleased when the Eastern Kingbirds showed up at the swamp.

There is a whole family of them there now and I love to watch their aerial displays as they catch insects over the swamp. I counted them here for the first time on May 3rd of this year. However this photo was taken on June 6th.

The Northern (yellow-shafted) Flickers have returned as well.

I saw the parents bring food to the chicks in the nest hole on June 6th and saw at least two little heads peeking out. However, on my last visit here on July 5th all the birds were gone.

Cedar Waxwings also have put in a regular appearance at the swamp. Sometimes I hear them before I see them, but that just helps me find them easier!

The cattails are growing green and lush along the perimeter of the swamp. I have yet to see a marsh wren here however, or a common yellowthroat. I heard a common yellowthroat on June 24th from far across the bog but that is the only time and I have not heard one since. I have not seen any other warblers here though I have listened and looked.

Chickadees are regular visitors. This one was a youngster I think as it tried weakly to sing the chickadee song. (7-5-11)

There are a fair share of dragonflies around. I was lucky to have this one land nearby where I could easily see and photograph it.

This sunny flower is growing along the bank of the swamp on the west side.

Juvenile Red-winged Blackbird twisting to groom itself.

What’s better than a Song Sparrow singing on a sunny summer’s day!

This is a view of the Swamp on July 4th in the evening as a thunderstorm passed by. While I stood on the edge watching birds I heard thunder, saw lighting flash, and felt the wind wild on the water, but no rain drops fell. It felt wonderful. If you compare this photo to the one in the previous post you will see the willow tree is now a soft pale green and all the rest of the vegetation has grown so thick that the apartments on the opposite show are all but obscured from view.

While I am amazed at all the birds I have seen at the bog I am also surprised by what I have not seen. I have not seen any warblers, kingfishers, empids, or wrens other than the Carolina in the winter and early spring. The muskrats seem to have disappeared. I have not see them in over two months. There are not many ducks or geese here nowadays. I found one lone goose when I counted birds in Den Rock Park on July 5th which lies at the north end of the swamp. I did not see any from my vantage point on the west side of the swamp. Blue and green herons show up sporadically but I have yet to get a decent photograph of one here. The green herons are particularly shy and are often at the more distant points out in the swamp. I hope to post an updated list of birds seen at the swamp within the next few days either in a post or as a list in the sidebar. As long as I live here you will find me going back to the swamp to count birds.

And that’s…My World Tuesday!