A pleasant morning of 16 degrees, little wind and full sun. Since it is the
Dog Days of Summer I thought that I would just stay local ... around the corner local. The Rouge Park is just outside the subdivision so I decided on two stops: Reesor (lower) pond and Meadowvale opposite the zoo. The short path to the observation spot at Reesor pond is completely grown over with weeds and wildflowers. If I didn't know that there was a path I wouldn't have found it. There is muck on the path before achieving the dry mound. There were no waterfowl on the pond ... nada. Not even geese or Mallards, or swans. The air was traced by swooping swallows and the bullfrogs were croaking. I could hear a Marsh wren across the water somewhere in the rushes. There were two Eastern kingbirds. I spotted a Great crested flycatcher across Reesor Rd. way up in the trees. A Song sparrow was singing away in a short tree right beside me. All in all, there was not much going on. I'm glad that I wore my rubber boots.
Meadowvale was equally dead. I walked east toward the Beare Wetland and found the upper pond mostly under utilized: three geese, two Mallards and two Am. black ducks. Also saw one E. kingbird and one Cedar waxwing. That's it. Dog days it is! On my way back from the pond I saw a Saddlebags dragonfly and Blue dasher. No butterflies. On my way to the car I heard a House wren and saw a male House finch. Some swallows were perched on an overhead wire ... Barn swallows. By now it was 25 degrees and time to leave.
Eastern kingbird at Beare wetland
Eastern kingbird at Reesor (lower) pond. There are two of them ... can you spot #2.
Barn swallow at Meadowvale ... that's some nice piece to tail.
Saddlebags dragonfly @ Meadowvale
Full wing embrace - Blue dasher @ Meadowvale
