First ducklings of spring 2015!

First Lake Murray ducklings award for 2015 goes to Snowie, again! She had them about a week or so earlier than last year. There were 13 and she's managed to hold on to all 13 for at least two or three days.

The whole brood together, all 13 of them.

RIP Howard, AKA Picked On, AKA Outcast:

Howard got a broken wing last week and was taken in to Project Wildlife. He didn't survive. This picture was taken on the day he went in to the hospital. He was actually starting to do better and was eating again on this day.

Squeaker and the male of the pair that adopted her look for Howard where he was last seen. Howard helped Squeaker learn how to be a goose and was the one who got her integrated into the group.

Miss Squeaky, the Pekin may need to be rescued, soon. She's getting a bald head. As soon as she starts showing raw skin or bleeding, a rescue attempt will be made. Right now, she's showing a lot of wing itching, probably from being mounted.

Poor 'Picked-on' and some warbling vireos

Poor "Picked-on" the outcast Canada goose.  He has a sprained leg, probably from picking fights with the other geese.  Don't worry, his wings are OK, he likes to hold them that way when he's depressed or not feeling well.  I feel sorry for him because he's been so sad since Louie died, but then he tries to fight with the other geese or kill ducklings.  He's always been a mental case as long as I've known him.

In other news, no ducklings, yet, but there are a couple of babies in the heron and osprey nests.  I think ducklings should arrive soon.  In the meantime, I was having problems identifying some birds that sounded like finches, but didn't look like them.  I think they're warbling vireos.  There's a male singing his head off and a female doing the begging posture.

I threw in a picture of this dog because he didn't like me standing there taking pictures of the birds.  I rarely ever see him.  All the dogs seemed not to like me standing there today.