Northern Shoveler Ducklings

 Curious to see the first-ever NE Avalon Northern Shoveler ducklings reported by Bruce Mactavish, I headed to Lundrigan Marsh. I was actually there in the morning, but didn't see anything unusual. After reading the post later in the day, I returned.

 I stood in knee-deep grass with the occasional spider crawling across my legs for 45 minutes before the family of shovelers showed themselves. Slowly, the little ones appeared stretching as if they had been sleeping.

There were five ducklings, but honestly, given their size, it was difficult to tell which one was the adult. There was no sign of the male shoveler during my stay.

A Hairy Challenge

 The drumming of this female Hairy Woodpecker echoed throughout Bidgood Park.  Undeterred by the metal plate surrounding the hole on the swallow box, this bird was on a mission.

 It looked like the ideal place for her nighttime roosting.

However, the small hole posed a problem.

Applying every iota of brain power she could, she puzzled over how to make this box her home.

 While she often drummed the metal plate, she spent most of her time trying to extract the wood behind it. She met with some success as she often appeared to have splinters in her beak.

With tremendous power, she pounded and pounded on the inner wall.

 She closely studied the wooden lining from every angle.

Smart or not so smart...that is the question. There was evidence this bird was studying and planning how to penetrate the impenetrable.

Something tells me, she just might figure out a way to beat the barrier. So intent she was on conquering this, she allowed spectators to get within feet of her, and she never flinched.

Just the Way I Like It

 Summer arrived today; albeit six weeks late. I headed out to see if I could find any butterflies and dragonflies. Along the way, I encountered this swallow sitting on a wire at Cape Spear. I didn't get a great first look, so I got out to look a little closer. It was shaped like a Barn Swallow, but the color was off.

 As I watched it on the wire, it fluffed up its feathers and showed a lot of white on its wings. What? Now, I was very curious and set to get a definitive ID for this bird.

 I followed it as it moved around the field. Shape is really important, but so, too, is color. This bird did not have the color of an adult or an immature Barn.

 The breast seemed to be totally white and the chin was really pale.

 From this angle, I couldn't see the typical swallow tail. More pictures needed...

 I was coming to terms with the fact this had to be a Barn and not something rare, but I wanted to be really sure.

 I continued to move around the field with the bird. I tried many flight shots, but failed at every attempt. I think I was too close.

 Then, at last, I got the money shot. The white tail spots were finally visible. That was it. So where did this bird come from? I haven't seen a Barn Swallow around for nearly a month now.

I dropped into Bidgood Park to see what I might find there. Most of the Tree Swallows have bred, raised their young and moved on. There were two swallows left at the park. One was obviously a Tree Swallow, but this one... I don't think so. Both swallows were scarce. I only had two chances to get pictures as they flew by and disappeared. This is one of the images. I knew one of them looked really dark, so I focused on this one when it zipped by the second time. The more I look at it.... its color, shape and consideration of its flight pattern, I think the Purple Martin might still be around. I waited a long time for it to show itself again, but it didn't. Interesting! Curious and just the way I like it...forcing me to think and learn.

Bumble Bee

 While hunting for dragonflies, I came across this bumble bee. The large orange pockets caught my eye. I have never seen this before.

When I reached home, I looked it up and found these to be pollen  sacs. Bumble bees gather much pollen, compress it and store it in the baskets attached to their hind legs. For a better explanation of this process, visit: http://www.gardening-for-wildlife.com/pollen-sacs.html

Despite appearing to have a very full load, it continued to gather pollen, continuously flitting around making it difficult to photograph.