Blue Mash sure did not look or feel like anything you would expect for the end of march. A thin layer of snow covered the rain soaked ground and temperatures were pretty darn low. Not low enough for a freeze though, and both ponds were ice-free and provided perfect conditions for migrating waterfowl. Sure enough plenty of ducks were around; in particular
Ring-necked Ducks were abundant and I counted a staggering 57 combining both ponds. An unexpected single
Northern Shoveler was on the smaller of the two ponds, patch bird number 152. Number 151 was Wood Cock by the way that I scored Saturday of last week during an evening visit. Continuing with waterfowl from today though; other ducks included American Black Ducks, Mallard, Green-winged Teal and
Hooded Mergansers. Another excellent bird came in the shape of a
Eastern Meadowlark that was calling from across the fence, patch bird #153. Other spring arrivals included my FOY
Eastern Phoebes, Tree Swallows and
Wilson's Snipes. On my way home I stopped by the Agricultural History Park where I had two stunning
Horned Larks and fly-over Pipits. The next few weeks will no doubt provide a lot of fun and new year birds.
