Scratcher of heads, rubber of bellies
I got a brief glimpse of a Virginia rail leading its chicks through the grasses at the edge of Rest Lake the other day, but they were so well obscured that I heard more than saw them. On this day back in 2011, however, I got a nice close (albeit brief) look at an adult.
2011 turned out to be a good year for watching killdeer for me, all thanks to this pair. I first saw them up close near the refuge parking lot, then early one winter morning I spotted them again running in front of Horse Lake. Suddenly the male jumped onto the female and they mated, and later I had the privilege of seeing them raise their family at the edge of the lake. A little slice of killdeer life, all witnessed in the short space between the parking lot and the end of Horse Lake.
While this American bittern may look a bit knackered with its tongue hanging out, it was just trying to dislodge a bit of plant material that was stuck near the base of its bill. It could have reached it with its foot, but perhaps to minimize movement it kept trying – unsuccessfully – with its tongue.
A male belted kingfisher perches on a snag as it watches for fish in Long Lake on a rainy winter afternoon. Many of the snags near the road have fallen over, taking many good viewing opportunities with them.
I enjoy photographing wildlife that are inadvertently carrying around a bit of their environment, such as this female green-winged teal who still has a bit of the plant life she was eating hanging from her bill.
I’m always a bit jealous of animals that can swivel their ears around, such as this Columbian white-tailed deer fawn.
Our resident goofball enjoys a summer evening at the dog park.
I took Ellie in for an ultrasound yesterday as the protein count in her urine has been on the high side. Thankfully everything looked good on her test, the vet even commented on how nice it was to be able to deliver good news for such a sweet dog. The protein levels are just below the need to treat them, so for now we’ll continue to monitor and start treatment if necessary. She had to get her belly shaved for the ultrasound but I haven’t done my duty and take embarrassing pictures of her, this one is from a year ago on the day I got my first mirrorless camera.
Oh how I love our sweet Ellie!
In 2013, I returned to Ridgefield a couple of days before Christmas after a nearly year-long absence from the refuge. It was a fun day filled with herons and mergansers and even my first sighting of Columbian white-tailed deer, but I was especially pleased to see bitterns, a sentimental favorite of mine, at Rest Lake.
Boolie 