The Trumpeters are singing…and for good reason. Hidden Lake Gardens received their new male swan (shown on the left). He’s a tad spunkier than the last male swan. He bobbed his head in agitation as I approached to take these photos. I think it’s a little easier to identify this male. His neck is thinner and longer than the female’s neck. The only way I could tell the last pair apart was by their leg bands.
K and I took the dog for a walk around Hidden Lake Gardens on Sunday. In addition to seeing these birds, I spotted a few birds along the way that I dont normally see. For some reason I’ve been seeing a lot of Red Bellied Woodpeckers lately. I saw a few on Sunday and one has been hanging around my house lately. I also spotted what I think was a Coopers Hawk. It was perched above the road when I saw it. Before I could get the camera up it flew about 50 yards away. It figures when I forget the binoculars I’m bound to need them. When we finished our walk in Hidden Lake Gardens we decided to go for lunch and then head to Ramsdell Park near Devils Lake. The day was perfect with little to no wind and sunny skies. Ramsdell Park can get chilly since it’s just a rolling meadow and there’s very few trees to block the wind. The Killdeer were active in the park. And, so were the Chickadees. We stopped for a few minutes to watch a pair eat seeds and berries only a few feet off the trail.
The Heron 