Marsh Madness

 Ok maybe it wasn't really madness, except by the time I got finished with my 14-15 kilometre trek to the very south end of the marsh trail of Rondeau and back, carrying camera, telephoto lens along with binoculars, my legs and feet were feeling a bit mad. I hadn't been out to the very end of that trail for months. The weather yesterday was inviting, to be sure. It was sunny, relatively mild, and with the easterly type winds, it wasn't as exposed as it would have been with west winds. So off I went.

The first part of the trail is mostly washed away, but with the currently lower water levels, the path is relatively easy to traverse at the edge of the water. There are some ups and downs. As the trail progresses, there is a fairly firm path for awhile, and you get the sense that all is well. Once you get past the former main parking lot half way out, that changes. The trail is on a berm, that was dredged out to create the adjacent canal, back in the late 1950s. And with the high water of late, and no maintenance for at least a few years, the muskrats have been having a hey day. As much as one wants to keep eyes focused on what birds, etc., are to be seen, one also has to keep a close eye on the path. There are numerous areas that have sunk in. Those aren't really the main problem, however. The real problem is when what looks to be a relatively solid part of the path on the surface, doesn't have the underground support to make it safe. There are always a few times when the foot comes down and starts to sink. At that point, you have to be aware that your foot could sink 5 cm or 50 cm. I've had both happen, and when you are looking off for birds and the ground gives way, it certainly gets your attention, especially when carrying expensive camera gear.

But care and persistence can be worth the risk and effort.

There were lots of ducks on the bay; thousands of them, probably at least ten thousand, but most were way beyond camera range. There were several rafts of Canvasback relatively close and I caught a few in flight.

There were lots of scaup, both lesser and greater, but only a few lesser were close enough to attempt to photograph.

 About half way to the former parking lot, I noticed an adult Bald Eagle in a tree. It seemed to be content to watch as I walked by. It probably hadn't seen too many hikers lately in its territory.

I was a little surprised to see this adult so far from the known nest which is much farther south. The nest that is visible along the marsh trail already had an adult in the nest, and another close by. The only thing I can think of is that there is a second nest not far from where I saw this bird, but in a location that is not easily visible from any trail. That happens, as I have seen other nests in the past, that are only visible if you get well off any trail and follow a ridge or slough. At times there have been three pairs of Bald Eagles actively nesting in the park, but at the moment, only the one nest is visible.

I saw several other Bald Eagles on this trek, probably at least 6 birds altogether, including three sub-adults like the one in this next photo.

Hawks were not plentiful, but there were a few, including a Northern Harrier off in the distance, as well as a couple of Red-tailed Hawks, one of which circled overhead well enough to allow me to get this photo.

As I approached the beginning of the trail on the raised berm, I had heard some bugling of Sandhill Cranes. Fortunately for me, a pair were just across the canal, and were tolerant of me long enough to get past them for better light for photograph.

But I guess I lingered a bit too long for the photos of these cooperative birds, as after a few minutes, they took flight for other parts of the marsh.

The rest of the trail was not as productive, at least not for many new things. I did see this Tundra Swan skulking in the cattails. Presumably it was not feeling well, and was content to hide. It hadn't moved a bit when I returned.

I saw my first Dandelion of the year, looking a bit rough, but there it was.

I also saw my first Eastern Garter Snake, sunning, but it slithered off into the grasses before I could get a photo.

And this is the view of the south beach, with the lake beyond, from the southern end of the marsh trail...

....and looking east towards the forested part of the park.

The trek took about 4 hours, and I was glad to get back to the vehicle. I only saw three other people on the trail the entire time, and none of them even half way out. It was an excellent day, with a good tired feeling at the end of it.