Short-eared owl

911-pond

Nov. 11, 2017

Mallard sitting on eggs

May 16, 2017
sorry mother mallard
walking around teapot ponds, by accident, we flushed a mallard from her nest, we quickly shot a picture and left the scene

moose skull lake May 9 and 10 2017

yesterday, early in the morning, there was more open water, approx. 25%.
Last night it froze pretty good, so i went to the lake this morning i expected not much change that way.
It must have been the wind, the lake is now 80 % open.
And lots of ducks!

First yesterday, I met a grouse close to the lake. On the lake the two bonaparte's gulls, the pair of pintails and  now four mallards  (3 males  one female) and i could here the  lesser yellowlegs.

The mew gulls seem to have gone, they were not there this morning either. But a lot of ducks had flown in.
First close to were i come out at the lake; a pair of buffleheads, and a  male barrow's glodeneye.

total count:  2, a pair of, buffleheads
                   2, a pair of barrow's goldeneye
                   4, 2 pairs of scaup
                   6, one female  and 5 males, mallards
                   2 or 3 bonaparte's gulls
                   lesser yellowlegs
                   3 unidentified ducks

(and May 13, 2017 the lake totally ice free now, no ducks! nor gulls, that i could see or hear, just hearing the yellowlegs.)

 and continuing my walk , May 10, grouse, juncos and robin's,  i decided to climb a fairly steep high hill, and right on the top:

a yellow-rumped warbler.

 Yesterday May 9, a yellow-rumped warbler arrived in my yard

with two  of those???

flickers!

moose skull lake May 8 2017, boreal chikadee

As i was sitting on the shore of the lake, a boreal chikadee flew up to me.
Closeby i heard a woodpecker, but never saw it.
In the lake  I saw today;  the two  mew gulls on the remaining ice. In the water, now say 15 % open; one bonaparte's gull, a pair of pintails , 2 male mallards.
I did not walk along so i didn't hear or see the yellow legs. I did scan the tops of trees, but could not make out any bird activity.

This both an exercise in observing the birds and becoming more aware. I am sure there were more birds than i saw or heard.

Yesterday the mew girls resting, now one seemed to be pecking things of the ice

this is what i did see, April 26, when i last crossed the ice

 a melting diving beetle or scavenger beetle maybe

moose skull lake May 6 2017, dark-eyed junco

the lake is still mostly covered in ice.
May 7, 2017
 a pair of mew gulls were resting on the ice,
i heard quite a noise from the lesser yellowlegs, i saw one.
2 or 3 bonaparte's gulls.
and a singing junco.

bonaparte's gull

dark-eyed junco

mew gulls

mew gull

mew gulls resting on the ice at moose skull lake ( mendenhall) May 7, 2017

Downy Woodpecker

compared to the hairy woodpecker

the downy woodpecker this one is smaller,

it has bars on it's tail

and the red spot is undivided

it's bill is compared to 'hairy's  shorter.

April 17, 2017

Hairy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker

All years that i remember nesting in my yard

and not to far away in winter.

recognizable from the Downy Woodpecker, by it being larger ( 9 inches a bit larger then the always around Grey Jays) 

The tail feathers on the side of the black ones are all white. ( the Downy's have black spots)

The red spot on Hairy's crown is divided by black. ( the Downy's is one red spot).

And Hairy's beak is longer.

This photo taken March 4 2017, it seems to be checking out a nesting site, I will note this date how it is related to the hatching of the young , which mostly happens here in June.