Surprise!

Somewhat blurry Common Gallinule chick

The first thing on your dance card today is adventure and it's gonna last all day.

I had no idea yesterday when we set out to take Liz to work and buy a spark plug for the John Deere weed eater, that retirement could be so exciting. At the sparking plug store the guy told Ralph he would have to come back in a couple of hours as the plug was in another town but they would get it.

Mama COGA

I was not pleased and made my feelings known. I envisioned hours of boredom in the other end of the county waiting for something that was far from an emergency. In case you didn't know it, I am a terribly grumpy person and don't do patience well.

Female Red-winged Blackbird carrying food to the kiddos

The boss dangled a visit to Cline Rd. Marsh in front of my snapping and snarling countenance and I somewhat reluctantly found myself appeased.

We proceeded to Oppenheim and I was strapping on my gear when a bird appeared in the middle of the road. A Common Gallinule! I have been trying all spring to get a photo of one, as we had heard them almost every single visit. And there she was. I grabbed some shots and looked back down to buckle up bins and sling on the camera.

"Chicks!" the boss exclaimed. And there were, FIVE of them! They scuttled across the road behind mama and I grabbed some blurry shots. I was pretty sure that I had heard chicks among the phragmites last week and here was proof that gallinules are breeding on the marsh.

Exciting!

Also quite startling was this large Northern Water Snake

I spotted what looked like a loop of rubber hose among the rushes
but it turned out to be this guy.

Also exciting were the 39 other species I encountered in the next hour and six minutes. The marsh was alive with song and flight. I regretted my grump intensely...as usual.

Green Heron

I was just finishing up...standing beside the car chatting to the boss with my back to him while I tried to record the gallinules when he exclaimed again.

Da Bear vanishing into the woods
right by Donnie and Hope's house!

"A bear! A bear! A bear!" He could barely get the words out.

I spun around and tried to get a photo but ursus wasn't picking any daisies. Five minutes before I had been standing right where that bear was!

We packed up and took the tour around the loop road where we encountered some furious Swamp Sparrows guarding a nest and a Mourning Warbler, a first in the county for me.

Then we returned home for a relatively peaceful rest of the day...

Until just the edge of dark, which comes pretty late these days. 

I went out to bring Mack down from his kennel for his dinner. As usual it takes a really swift grab to get the leash on his collar and I almost missed him. He was really excited. Since something has been drinking all the water out of his bucket every night, I turned to latch the door back closed. There was.....something....gazing up at me from the concrete floor of his run.

I put the light on it. A very dead, utterly disemboweled, woodchuck. He is a terrier. It's what they do. It wasn't a pup either. (Neither is he! He's 11, all grey in the face and looking like butter wouldn't melt in his mouth but he has the terrier instinct and it isn't hard to trigger.) It made a hefty load in the shovel when I took care of the mess after I took the dog down to the house for his dinner...because I may be a grump but I don't whine for a guy to deal with things like that even though it sure was a nasty mess.

Anyhow, from daylight to no light yesterday was quite a day. I am ready for some quiet today....maybe...

And that's one woodchuck that won't be eating my beans and lettuce this year.