Jack is missing!

Jack and Jill near what was left of Meanie last summer

Jack, the white gander who lives with Jill near the ballfields at Lake Murray was missing this morning.  I thought I saw him when I first arrived, but by the time I went to the other side, he was gone and Jill was frantically looking and calling for him.

Jill, looking for Jack this morning

I saw Jack on Sunday and he didn't look too good.  He's always sleepy when I see him, but the last few days he seems to have gotten more lethargic.  I can't find anything that tells me what happened to him and I think Jill is very confused, too.  There was no indication that a predator got him, but it has been raining the last few days, so it might have gotten washed away.  I am wondering if the lady that feeds them found something wrong with Jack and took him to the animal hospital.  Perhaps she or whomever couldn't take Jill, too, and will come back for her later.  I am worried because there are coyotes all over the place there and she is all alone.

In other news, when I arrived, I saw the merganser, but he wasn't very co-operative about me taking his picture.  The water level had been lowered, so they could see me coming from pretty far away.  Plus, it was dark when I originally arrived.

I saw this cute cinnamon teal. The camera couldn't focus well because it was still dark:

Later, I saw this green heron trying to fish from a branch:

Lots of killdeer today.  I think I still counted 11.  They were being very quiet and still, but I could tell they loved the lower water level.  All of them were in George's feeding area.  George, Killer, Dee, and George III were seen among others.

The kiddos

George III, Puffy Band and Dee (I think)

George on the far left

And, finally, a bunch of shovelers.  Here's a male and a female:

The Wilson's snipe was heard near the fence and cedar waxwings were heard around the golf course area.