Below:  Smooth Camas (Oak Hammock Marsh)

Below:Dames Rocket (Whiteshell)

Enjoy!

~Sharon

Below:  Willet chicks

Below:  Adult Willet flying overhead

Below:  Willet at Oak Hammock Marsh

Enjoy!

~Sharon

Today, some wildflower photos taken this summer in Manitoba.  Above is a Wood Lily which is commonly found along roadsides and forest edges.  This lily was growing at Oak Hammock Marsh.

Below: Common Bladderwort.   These grow in marshes with the green leafy mass of the plant being under the water and the flowering stem shoots up above water level.  This was in a marsh in Nopiming Provincial Park.

Below: Northern Crane’s Bill.  I found this one growing in a scrub forest area in the Whiteshell.  The bloom on this plant has seen better days but it is still a pretty plant.

Enjoy!

~Sharon

Related to Beaver?  No.  Related to a Rat?  No.  It is said they are more likened to an overgrown field mouse.  Thick, richly coloured fur which keeps them warm in the icy cold waters throughout winters.  They build little mud/reed lodges for sleeping and eating in.

They are active during the later hours of the day. Muskrats do not have webbed feet and their tail is bald; both feet and tail are sparsely covered with fine hairs.  Their tail is long and more round than flat and does look like a rat tail. They use musk glands to scent their trails and communicate. Muskrats are found in slower moving rivers, streams and marshy areas and inhabit virtually all areas of North America. Valued for their fur, they are trapped in large numbers and they have numerous air borne and land predators. In spite of this their population remains healthy.  There are many fascinating facts (how they have adapted to eating underwater) about these mammals which have so well adapted to their aquatic habitats.  Check out the following Muskrat Fact Sheet at Hinterland Who’s Who

Below:  A good view of the hind feet

Below:  A muskrat’s tail – round and bare

Muskrats use their front feet like hands to grip their preferred food like cat tails.

Enjoy!

~Sharon

Enjoy!

~Sharon

The above photos are of a female Brown-headed Cowbird taken at Oak Hammock Marsh.  These birds were foraging on the ground picking up insects.  Below is the male .

Below a Western Meadowlark at Oak Hammock Marsh. Meadowlarks are commonly found in grasslands areas and their song is beautiful and unmistakeable.

Enjoy!

~Sharon

Not just a “sparrow” . . .  years ago before I really started paying attention to birds I would have simply identified this bird as a sparrow and left it at that.  We have many varieties of sparrows around us daily with beautiful songs and distinctive markings and colour.   Pictured above is a Savannah Sparrow at Oak Hammock Marsh.  It has yellow over the eyes and a white breast area.   Below is a Lincoln’s Sparrow with some buff colouring on the striped breast and around the eyes – this one in my backyard.

Enjoy!

~Sharon

This Northern Shoveler pair was sighted close to Oak Hammock Marsh.  Beautiful waterfowl with large shovel like beaks that swipe back and forth while feeding on the water surface. Can be found breeding in shallow wetlands. Below is the female Northern Shoveler.

Below – close up views that show their broad beaks.

Enjoy!

~Sharon

Above:  Kildeer at Oak Hammock Marsh

Spring seems to be arriving early this year just like our little groundhog predicted it would.  With spring will be the arrival of our wonderful variety of birds.   The geese have already arrived and the Bald Eagles are once again soaring high in our skies.  Today’s blog features birds commonly found around our marshes and lakes.

Below:  Greater Yellowlegs, Solitary Sandpiper & Common Snipe.  These photos were taken at Oak Hammock Marsh, Hecla Island and Twin Beaches

Enjoy

~Sharon

Above: American Coots swimming through the Duckweed.

This aquatic plant is aptly named as it is apparent that waterfowl love this stuff.   Todays photos are of American Coots, Mallard Ducks and Wood Ducks all ready to dine on their Duckweed dinner.  Where the Duckweed is really thick in the marsh,  little trails are blazed as the diners swim through feeding on their greens.  I didn’t realize the importance of this plant until doing a bit of research on it. Duckweed is another example of things we see often but don’t pay much attention to.  The website which I have cited below is both an informative and interesting read.

The family of duckweeds are the smallest flowering plants that grow floating in still or slow-moving fresh water world wide, except in the coldest regions.  The growth of these high-protein plants can be extremely rapid. Lemna is one of the best known of this group and has been the subject of much research. The Charms of Duckweed. (15 Sep. 2002) http://www.mobot.org/jwcross/duckweed-citation.htm (10 Nov. 2002).

Below:  Mallard (female) heading for the duckweed.

Below:  Wood Ducks in the duckweed.

Below: Gadwall Duck swims in the duckweed at Oak Hammock Marsh.

Enjoy!

~Sharon