11, 12 april

11 April

 eBird data: https://ebird.org/checklist/S85337305

weather:  8am 4C wind WNW7, 1pm 7C wind NNW 17  patchy frost, clear

tide:   9:30 am 3.2m falling

12 April

eBird data: https://ebird.org/checklist/S85411443

weather:  8 am 5C, wind WNW 6,  1 pm 9C wind WNW 13, clear

tide:  10 am 3m

Two days of glorious sun, and gradually warming.  Sunday was still quite chilly in the shade.  Both days birdy, although I don't know what's happened to the warblers that I saw a week ago.  Perhaps they were just passing through.




Eagles are still nesting. 



 I thought on Sunday I might have spotted a third nest across the river but couldn't find it today.  Still no evidence of young, although they should be hatching soon.

Today, the 12th I had moments of delight and moments of -- hm--oh well, admit it--fear and anger.

Delight:  

The redwing blackbirds are singing joyously and there is no birdsong that I like better.  (Sorry--don't have a recording, although you could check the Macaulay library https://search.macaulaylibrary.org/catalog?taxonCode=rewbla&mediaType=a&q=Red-winged%20Blackbird%20-%20Agelaius%20phoeniceus) if you're really keen.  To me, the've always sung of spring and open spaces.  


This is an incompletely fledged bird, headed into mating plumage.

In any case, for me, setting out on a walk, serenaded by blackbirds is just as good as it gets.

Unfortunately, the route was marred by a stupid episode.  I stepped off the main path to look over a field, and when I turned back,



 a young woman with two really big and poorly controlled dogs on lead, actually screamed that I'd frightened her.  I know they were on leads, but they were huge, and she was little and they were pretty much controlling her.  I was sure the dogs would rush to her defence, but fortunately after initial barking and growling, they settled down.  I'd met them before, in company of a sensible young man and they seemed to recognise me.  But I found it scary, and no, I did not apologise for startling her.  They're really big dogs, one with mastiff in its genes, I'm pretty sure.  One maybe a cane corso.

Oh well, after a certain amount of grumbling to myself, I continued on my way.  There were more woodpeckers than I can recall seeing before in one morning--pileated, flicker, downy, and hairy.  Several of each apart from the one pileated.  

The tide was well out both mornings, the Straits more or less calm, although the wind was standing up both mornings.




Sunday there were an abundance of ducks.  Fewer today but a couple of flights of brant and dunlin.

As usual, I sat drinking coffee and absorbing the view.  

To my delight, it appears that the hooded mergansers have returned!



They've yet to settle into their pond.  I don't know where they hang out in winter, but here they are.  Among my all-time favourite ducks!

But as I proceeded along after merganser photos, a mid-size, I think adolescent dog charged me--playful, but big and, dammit!, off-lead.  Then his human appeared and yelled at him--BAD DOG!  and tried to get him into a lead, still yelling, but he was very hard to control.  I'm afraid I gave her a telling-off, very quietly.  There are signs all over the park saying "Dogs must be on lead."  Actually some of them even say something to the effect that "This is a wildlife refuge:  NOT a leash-free park for dogs."  Mostly I don't get too bothered about violations of this--it's not great, but this dog was plainly out of control.  He wasn't hostile, in fact, I think he was probably playful, but there are any number of small critters about and this time of year there is nesting going on.  And I just don't understand people who think signs apply to other people.  (I said that to her.  She had no reply.)  I added that I thought the behaviour problem was not the dog's fault.  I like dogs but I found myself thinking of one of my cousins who worked as a vet's assistant as a young man and who used to say he liked dogs, he just found it hard to like their owners sometimes.  (Obviously this doesn't apply to dog-owners among the readership of this Blog!)  I wonder what this particular dog is going to grow into--his human certainly didn't seem to have much of a handle on his management.

Ah well, red-wing blackbird song, mergansers, probably outweigh stupid dog owners.  

Who knows what the morrow will bring.




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