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News On The Water, And On The Snow

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 Just a day separated some of these shots, but the weather changed enough that it went from cold, to cold and sleety. I had hoped that the tease the weather had been playing was for a promise of something a little warmer - a bit of early spring. But it brought a little of the opposite. It didn't seem to affect the critters though. Those that were out seemed to be having just as much fun as if we were further south.

 We keep hearing that our native Painted Turtle numbers (left) are dwindling, and they're being pushed aside by the introduced Red-eared Slider Turtles, so seeing one at Brydon Lagoon was a wonderful treat. I couldn't tell until we got home and looked at the shots on the computer that that was who this little guy was - just that it was a turtle. From a distance, they look very much alike. But upon closer inspection, the lack of the red marking over the ear area set this as our very own.

 Real, heavy, powdery snow didn't drop when we were at Cougar Creek Park, but enough cold, wet snow pelted down that I could just imagine the Great Blue Heron (right), and other birds wanting to reach for their version of earmuffs. The cold didn't seem to bother this Great Blue though - even just standing there with steely eyes gazing out for the next meal, it wasn't bothered by the chill. I would have thought it might stamp around a bit more to warm up, but those beautiful feathers and down must create a wonderful blanket of heat when needed.

 The Canada Geese didn't quite seem at home to me standling idly on the snowy patches above the lake at Southmere Village Park, but they weren't squawking or buzzing each other in irritation. Mother Nature's snowy intrusion just seemed to be a natural part of their day, and they seemed to actually enjoy the change in weather to snowy conditions. I wonder if they're like little kids who like to play in the snow becasue it's something new.

 And the weather may not be the warmest now, but that hasn't stopped some of the little guys out there from family planning. Two Mallards at Brydon Lagoon put on a little display after they had finished. Nature can sometimes be quite entertaining.

 

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