The road to the Easton’s pond is again more or less passable and I got out to visit them and I made a call on the Middletons a couple days later. Let’s see what they’ve been up to.
And I’ve been printing and framing new images for the Berkshires Art Festival in Great Barrington, MA on July 3, 4 and 5. I’ll have note cards and prints large and small for sale. Please come by and have a look.
Local folks, I’m doing a calendar fundraiser for Oscar’s Memorial Dog Park – the park behind the Newbury Veterinary Clinic. I’m looking for volunteer dogs to photograph. I need about half an hour in the park with you and your dog. You get to have fun playing with your dog while I take some photos. I’ll send you printable jpgs of the best shots and your dog may make it into the calendar. Let me know if you’re interested.
Tuesday morning well before dawn, I headed out to visit the Eastons. I’d stopped by the pond the last time I went past. The dirt road is passable, but grading would be a big help.
On my way to the pond, I passed a bear and her cub enjoying a meal from a curbside trash can. I’m not sure curbside trash pickup and bears are a good mix. The story won’t end well for the bears if they get used to finding breakfast in the trash.
There were three loons on the pond when I paddled out. Two were defending a territory on one of the islands, the intruder was holding back a bit. There were skirmishes throughout the morning.
One of the pair defending a good looking nesting site.
The loons were doing a lot of aggressive diving. Aggressive diving is a challenge to the other loon(s). Someone asked once how you could tell when the dive is aggressive. The best answer I can come up with is you can tell the same way you judge your wife’s mood by the way she closes a door.
There was also a fair bit of wing rowing – another challenge.
After I got a good look at all three loons I saw that last year’s Mr. Easton wasn’t on the pond. He’d been challenged regularly late last season. He may have been driven off the pond or something may have happened to him over the winter. He may yet reappear on his pond, or another pond. He’s banded so it is possible we can find out if he’s spotted. This is one of the pair defending the territory coming over to check me out. He? decided I could stay.
The dispute moved down the pond. Each loon was displaying how big and tough they are – certainly not loons you’d want to mess with.
Oh yeah? You want a piece of THIS?
You don’t mess with me pal! The dispute was unresolved when I had to head in.
While the loons were skirmishing, Hank the great blue heron and his friend Charlize T. Heron flew in. Hank got a good spot to look over the pond. He moved on after a time, I suspect he discovered the fishing wasn’t very good from there.
Charlize T. Heron claimed a spot in the sun on an island. I headed home.
Sometimes I get lucky and have a critter make photos easy. Wednesday, my dogs were out back and started making noise. That’s not surprising, they’re huskies and feel the need to talk about almost everything. I let them in and happened to look out the window. Quill Smith the porcupine was sauntering across the lawn. He checked out the blackberry bushes and wandered off.
Thursday morning I was on the Middleton’s pond before sunup. On my last visit, they’d been sitting on their nest. A friend on the pond had messaged saying she was seeing both loons together for long periods on the pond. When I arrived, I discovered they’ve abandoned their first nest. The water level has dropped several inches since my last visit. They probably don’t have enough water to come and go from the nest underwater and decided to give up on it.
Mrs. Merganser was just getting up and around for the day when I passed.
The Middletons seem intent on trying again. They were scouting new nest locations. This is Mr. M, promoting the spot he’s used for the last few years.
Mrs. M considered the spot, going so far as to dredge up some nesting material and toss it sort of near the nest. Loons aren’t great builders. They often dig up material to build up the nest and just toss it. Sometimes on the nest. Sometimes into the water in the same ZIP code.
Mrs. M wasn’t sold on the spot and they moved on to check out other possibilities.
Mrs. M climbed out on this small island to check things out.
She wanted to see what the spot looked like with a few improvements.
That spot wasn’t selected either. Mrs. M came off the island and stretched.
They moved along and discussed a few spots in the reeds.
After a few minutes exploring the reeds, Mr. M tossed up his wings. In frustration? He wouldn’t say.
It didn’t look like they settled on a new spot. They headed out for breakfast, a quick preening and a stretch before settling in for a nap. I headed home.
The Weston’s chicks should have hatched this weekend. I’ll be off to visit as soon as we get a nice morning.
Our bluebirds are around the yard, keeping busy feeding the fledglings. A wren is working in their box this morning.
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Quill Smith’s relatives are multiply fast without as many fishercats around. We have a pair of porcupines at our house the last two years, even in winter they come around, which surprised us.
Thanks for more great photos!
Sharon~
Quill Smith’s relatives are multiply fast without as many fishercats around. We have a pair of porcupines at our house the last two years, even in winter they come around, which surprised us.
Thanks for more great photos!
Sharon~