Four-month pupdate

Woody is 4 months old! He was born November 22, and I've decided to take a picture of him around the 22nd of each month so we can really appreciate how much he's grown (credit for this great idea goes to Laura from Somewhere in NJ, who has been doing just that with her black lab, Luka).

It's also fun to see him gaining on 5-year-old Lily:

Woody has entered that adolescent phase where his primary hobbies are barking and chewing. We were doing pretty well in the chewing department, always at the ready with something appropriate for him to sink his teeth into, until one day last week when he added this nice touch to our decor:

Oh dear. It's a good thing he's such a sweet companion.

I'll close this pupdate with a preview of coming attractions. Look at the size of those paws!

And then there were two ...

Our Canada Goose population has dwindled from hundreds, just a couple months ago, to two. I'm not alarmed, this happens every year, and is a harbinger of spring. What happens next is even better: by the end of April there will be goslings!

The goslings appear like magic every year. We have never seen mating behavior, or a nest. This completely surprised me four years ago, but now it has become an annual event. We suspect this pair of geese has been here before. They don't raise a fuss when we come out to the pond, and when we feed the ducks they actually walk over to grab some morsels for themselves! I wish I knew more about this pair: how old they are, whether they were born here, or if they raised young here last year. In any case, the annual cycle never ceases to amaze me.

Stay tuned ...

Just passing through ...

This morning we added a new species to our bird list: the American Wigeon. There were three males and a female, dabbling about on the pond. Their characteristic markings and blue-ish beak gave them away. We're seeing lots of interesting new visitors this time of year, like last weekend's Snow Geese and some Hooded Mergansers. They seem to be just passing through, stopping to rest and eat and then make their way to their next destination.

Photo courtesy of eNature.

Bird List

A list of birds we've seen on the property, some more often than others! Links to enature.com provide photos, sounds, and more information:
(Updated 9/15/2008)

• Hawk-like birds: Osprey, American Kestrel, Red-tailed Hawk, Black Vulture, Sharp-Shinned Hawk
• Duck-like birds: Common Merganser, Hooded Merganser, Wood Duck, Canada Goose, Snow Goose, Redhead, Mallard, Common Goldeneye, American Wigeon
• Long-legged waders: Green Heron, Great Blue Heron
• Shore birds: Killdeer
• Gull-like birds: Herring Gull
• Pigeon-like birds: Mourning Dove
• Swallow-like birds: Tree Swallow, Barn Swallow
• Tree-clinging birds: Northern Flicker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker
• Perching birds: Belted Kingfisher, Indigo Bunting, Eastern Bluebird, Red-winged Blackbird, Blue Jay, American Robin, Gray Catbird, House Finch, Purple Finch, American Goldfinch, Northern Cardinal, Mockingbird, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Kingbird, White-breasted Nuthatch, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, European Starling, Northern Oriole, American Tree Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Brown-headed Cowbird, Common Grackle, Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Weekend visit from a pair of Snow Geese

A pair of Snow Geese decided to crash this weekend's Big Goose Party. They were first spotted on Friday, strutting about about in a flock of Canada Geese. One is pure white; the other is the Blue Goose variety (located to the far left of the white goose in the photo).

Saturday morning they were back, this time on the pond. At first I thought they were our Pekin ducks, but a quick beak count proved otherwise. Eager to get a shot of something other than their posteriors, I tried stealing down to the pond for more photos, but despite my zeal failed to capture them. Either I missed the birds entirely, or the shot was an unfocused blur. Eventually I managed to scare them all off. To really show off how fine these birds are, the best I can do is this photo, courtesy of eNature's entry on the Snow Goose:

The flock has returned to the pond several times over the course of the weekend. The Snow Geese are quite beautiful!