Duck Day

Today was a day the wetlands were alive with activity from numerous ducks, geese and other birds.  While I did see a pair of mallards, I discoved  8 of the Green-winged teal ducks in pairs of two's.  The grasses are starting to poke through the water and the water level is high with the arrival of a good amount of rain on Friday.  It was not as warm as I thought, but the trail was busy with a few joggers, walkers and later cyclists along the Captial Trail section. 

One pair of several pair of Green winged Teal ducks

male green winged teal

A beautiful Green winged Teal

A pair of Green winged Teal ducks

February Rain

Rain has arrived on the wetlands, always a welcome site.  This weekend promises temperatures near 70 on Friday and and another warmer day during the weekend.  Watch your step all the slithery creapy crawlies will be out and about this weekend.  The new crops are just starting to push through on the Mainland Farm.  Last evenings walk around the trail were many geese visiting the pond as well as a Heron or Egret had arrived.  Hope to see a lot of people out and about this weekend.  Enjoy!

Green-winged Teal Ducks

During President's Day weekend I was out with my camera and spotted a pair of Green-winged Teal Duck.  They were quite a distance away, enough to max out my little camera.  The Ducks Unlimited website was used to identify it as a Green-winged Teal. 

http://www.ducks.org/hunting/waterfowl-id/green-winged-teal

There truly is something new everyday to see along the trail

Greensprings Interpretive Trail - Geese at Dawn

Last evening on our walk, we could hear the voices of dozens of geese on the beaver pond.  Not one to be an early riser, I enjoyed a wonderful walk along the trail to the boardwalk.  The temperature was very mild and refreshing. The Geese were in abundance along with other birds and a "Ninja Squirrel".


Trees budding in the mild February weather

Good Morning Dear



Bright and Sunny morning in February

In background, a sampling of what is on the pond

Another sample

Trail girl going off the beaten path to get the shot.....if I had a boat maybe next time

Lovely Geese

A recent Visit to Jamestown Island

 

Great Blue Heron at pond towards Jamestown Island....at the Isthmus

He definately let me know when I was getting too close

Along the Island Drive

Evidence of another large bird

Trail Neighbors Please Protect this Place of Beauty

Dear Neighbors of St. George's Hundred and Jamestown Hundred, this drainage pond is located behind your homes and is a buffer between the stuff you wash down the street and the thriving wetlands which is home to hundreds of species of wildlife.  This post is full of bottles, trash and balls that go down the drains on our neighborhood streets.  Today, we say three "sludge" spots where it looks like oil, fuel of somesort and fertilizer has been washed down the street by someone in the neighborhoods and this is the where it has ended up.  The small tributary is the means by which the water from your driveway to the drain, to this pond and into the protected wetlands.  Please do all you can to keep from harming our neighborhood.

One of a good 100 bottles, cans and other trash

Sheen is present from some type of oil or fuel that was probably spilled and washed down the street

possible excess of fertilizer

a second spot with a different sort of sheen of polution

It's a Beautiful Day

A four day weekend for some of us for President's weekend, we have walked the trail twice today. This morning was a walk with the puppies around the wetlands and out to the Mainland Farm.  It was a bit warm for two puppies with winter coats.  The mild weather has brough about the migration of Canada Geese.  On the wetlands themselves, the turtles for the past two days have been in abundance along with two types of ducks both Mallards and Wood Duck. The deer are still be allusive, however my husband did see a grouping of about 20 yesterday to include the three albino deer.  Tonight there are hundreds of geese on the water.  The moon is full this evening and some frogs can be heard croaking in the night air.  I look forward to tomorrow, but will share a few photos from today. 

Destruction on Park Land

The reason I keep this blog is to document the everyday life on Greensprings Interpretive Trail, the Capital trail as well as Main Land Farm, the Virginia Game Land Fisheries  and the surrounding areas in the Jamestown, Green Spring area of Williamsburg, VA

Approximately two weeks ago taking a walk along a portion of the Capital Trail in the area of the Greensprings Interpretive trail, I a walk off the beaten path to discover some of the wildlife on a sunny but cold day.  I saw a Great Blue Heron which on another day I caught in flight as well as several deer. 

This past week I returned to the area of the beaver dams to find that kids/teens had been quite destructive in the area over the past week since I had first visited.  The area in addition to this new destruction is littered with beer cans and plastic bottles.  Parents if your kids are on the trail with rifles with these little pellets, please teach them how to be responsible and to respect nature. 

My kids are on these trails as much as my husband and I am.  They have been taught to respect the area, to respect nature and care for it.  These are photos of what I found this past weekend .



Tree which has been chopped up in the past week



A second tree chopped up in the past week

One of at least two forts built

The most alarming thing are hundreds of these pellets which can easily kill birds and animals when eaten

The Beauty of Greensprings, Late Jan 2011

The beauty of Green Springs