Fontenelle Forest Wetlands - June 2 2012

This Gray Catbird was very cooperative today.

Most of the warblers have moved on but this Common Yellowthroat Warbler is nesting in the wetlands

The Belted Kingfisher has returned

This Double-Crested Cormorant is sitting in his favorite spot again today.

A Song Sparrow has captured a bit of lunch.

Lady's Thumb grows wild along the trail

A Perfect Spring Morning

I spent several wonderful hours in the Fontenelle Forest wetlands on the morning of May 5th.  The temperature was perfect.  The mosquitoes were manageable.  It had rained recently but the trails were not too muddy.  Best of all, I nearly had the place to myself for several hours.

My strategy is to try to spot wildlife before it notices me as I walk the trail.  Nearby areas are hunted nearly year round so many species have a reason to remain wary.  I'm interested in shots that show how wildlife interacts with each other and their environment  I could rush down the trails.  I would see many more species that way.  I would also miss many changes to make quality  photographs.

This Song Sparrow posed for a couple of seconds.

Catbirds have returned.

A solitary Great Egret surveyed the pond.

The Great Egret decided it was safe enough to fish nearby.  It is extremely difficult to get this close to an Egret in Nebraska.  I knew my time with it was limited.  The next person walking down the trail would only see it's tail as it flew off.

Fishing was good today.

A Little Blue Heron noticed the Great Egret and decided this was a safe place to fish.  This is the first Little Blue Heron I've ever seen in the ten years I have been photographing the Fontenelle Forest wetlands.  I've mentioned Nature Search before - It is an extremely useful site that shows every type of plant and animal ever photographed in Fontenelle Forest.  This Little Blue Heron will be added to the site. 

I saw quite a few Baltimore Orioles.  Except for this female, they were too interested in attracting the opposite sex to than to pose for a photograph.  

Bullfrogs  lined the stream.  I expected this guy to make a snack out of the water strider.  He didn't.  My depth of field wasn't sufficient to focus on the frog and insect at the same time.  I quickly made one shot and then refocused for the next.  The two images were merged in Photo Shop.

A Lesser Yellowlegs strolled along the side of the stream eating insects.  

A couple of painted turtles sunned themselves.

When the Student is Ready, the Teacher will Appear

Many years ago I heard this Zen proverb for the first time - "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear".  There is an order to things that cannot be ignored.  Disaster struck the Fontenelle Forest wetlands last year.  Recovery will be a process that will follow a sequence.  As the wetlands heal, the animal and plant life will become more diverse.

Before the flood, the wetlands were a special place.  The plants and animals lived here in a habitat that was unusual in Nebraska.  Migrating birds were attracted to the area as they traveled north.  Some animals that lived here are not commonly found in any other part of Nebraska.

The animal and plant life was not so diverse because of any special attention that was paid to the area.  The opposite was true, the land wasn't very suitable for farming or human habitation so the humans were willing to leave it alone.  

The terrible flooding of 2011 altered this habitat for months.  Many of the former residents will not find it as welcoming at first.  The plants need to return before the animals that eat them will come back.  Plants that require shade may be pushed out by the grass that now will grow where the trees once stood.  Animals that eat seeds will need to wait until late summer when the plants produce seeds.  The carnivorous animals will need to wait until their prey has returned.  

Recovery will not mean that the area will be exactly the same.  For example, the Sycamores, Cottonwoods and Elms survived but other species like the ash and box elder were wiped out.  Eventually it will be very similar to other wetland areas in the Midwest because certain plants and animals thrive in this type of environment.

I visited the Fontenelle Forest lowlands before Sunrise on Saturday, April 14.  As darkness changed to light, I realized that it was too foggy for long range photos.  There were wood ducks swimming in the fog and I startled a Great Blue Heron when it saw me approach before I saw it.  There was a flock of Goldfinches high up in a tree and I could hear the honks of Canadian Geese. 

The forest staff has been hard at work.  The little bridge across the stream has been completed.  Dead branches have been removed from the trails and the board walk is nearly complete again.  

.The remains of the forest are everywhere.  Fallen trees drifted in the flood waters until they became tangled among the standing trees of the forest.  There are now piles of wood everywhere.  The forest floor started to sprout but it still doesn't provide any cover for wildlife.  

.

I hear many more birds than I see.  This song sparrow was one of the few birds I was able to approach closely enough to photograph.

A spider has built a web in stalks that remained from last year.

Dew covers a new growth of grass.

The shoots and leaves of this vine will soon cover their host - a tree that didn't survive the flood.