Woodland Wetlands

   Woodlands surrounding the swamp are equally important.  We stumbled upon a doe and her two fawns, and before she was aware of us, we were able to blend with the forest.  She remained unaware, but the little ones picked up movement, our scent, or some other indication of our presence.  The curious fawns walked cautiously towards us for ten or more yards while we practically held our breath.  We finally turned away, showing ourselves, and the family scampered away.  Their wild nature and naivete was what made the moment special.

The Swamp

   The swamp is abundant with a wealth of wildlife, both rare and common; all species important in the web of life when the ecosystem is in balance.  When we can protect the conditions that foster this balance, we can enjoy all that it offers.  A few of the more common species we see............

Shelf Nesters

  The swamp is teeming with life in the spring, and birds use every conceivable location for nesting.  This mourning dove stopped construction for a while, as did a robin who nested on the tops of some 2x4 boards.

Cavity Nesting Birds at the Swamp

   When a pileated woodpecker flew out of the woods and showed his agitation towards a raccoon in an old oak tree, we (Kristy, Joanne, and Barb, who is not in the photo) followed his return flight in an attempt to find the nest.
   The pileated was flicking his tail directly at the raccoon and chirping loudly.  It was clear that the pileated woodpecker was upset with the raccoon and wanted the raccoon out of his territory.  Raccoons eat the eggs and young of many cavity nesting birds and ground nesting birds. The current raccoon population is much too high and they have decimated certain bird populations and contribute to declining numbers of blandings turtles, which are now becoming extremely rare.

   Although we couldn't find the pileated woodpecker nest, we did find many other cavity nesters............including tree swallows, house wren, and sapsucker, all of which nested successfully.

Bird Photos by Kristy Morris

Kristy photographed many of the resident and migrating birds, from hummingbirds at the feeder, to young eagles soaring overhead.