Waterfowl

Most of the winter resident birds are back on the ponds at Fountain Valley.  The migration isn't over, it's simply moved farther south.  Most of the trees have shed there leaves; the honking of Canada Geese high overhead hasn't been heard in a week.  Both are good signs that the great autumn migration has left your area.  Every trip to Fountain Valley starts with a few minutes of standing on the observation deck that stands over the first pond.  The water is black in the afternoon sun, a large snapping turtle is swimming near the surface.  Strange creature the snapping turtle, ambush predators that are amply equipped for the job with a strong pointed beak of sharp bone, a fleshy lure for a tongue, claws, and a long tail to help in navigating.  It's also a bulwark.  The shell is very thick, flattened and covered in boney spikes. Though these defenses pale in comparison to its nearly perfect camouflage and it's patience.  Blessed also with a grumpy disposition and an intolerance for anything smaller than itself.  The only time they show themselves is when they are getting air every thirty minutes or so, as this big bruiser was doing.  A painted turtle hovered several yards off in the cattails.  Red shouldered blackbirds flocked in the trees calling; they looked like tiny ravens.  Fitting for Halloween. 

Red Shouldered Blackbird pretending to be a Raven

The oak forest that was so dark and cool has shed most of its leaves and is a high contrast mix of perfect shadow and shafts of glaring light.  Two white-tailed deer, a buck and doe, are meeting; sniffing each others faces.  The doe flashes her white tail and bounds through the forest on her springy legs, the buck chases.  Out on the dock, the marsh is silent; two raptors, resident red tails gambol in the breeze looking for meadow voles.  As I walk towards the little bridge that crosses the marsh on the way to the second pond I can hear the voles rustling around in the tall grass seeking their own prey; seeds and grass stems.  They are doing well at staying hidden from sight though, they can usually be seen on the trail itself.  There is a wooden fence that separates the pond from the rest of the park. This is the demarcation point for where bikes, horses, and dogs are allowed on trail.  At this fence there is a pagoda that you must walk through to continue your tour.

Mallards taking off

The trail branches here, the right branch is only about 20 feet and it takes you to a little inlet on the pond, right to the waters edge.  The inlet is filled with birds, mostly mallards their shiny green heads clashing vividly with the still, grey water.  There are also black ducks, which are identical to mallards but don't have green heads, they have brown heads.  Two small pied-billed grebe float at the mouth of the inlet, patrolling in the deeper water for small fish and bullfrogs.  The most spectacular bird though is the American Widgeon.  These birds are about the size of the mallard, maybe slightly smaller, and have matte cream coloured foreheads with dark, shiny green stripes that start just in front of their eyes and continue down into their necks.  There bills are stubby and very light blue.  There bodies are a deep woody brown with a little white on the vent and long black tail and wing feathers.  All of the birds move out into the main pond silently as I approach. 

American Widgeon, feeding on aquatic plants

   Back on the main path, I follow the pond. There are mallards everywhere.  The high pitch laughing of belted kingfishers ring out constantly as the little birds zip out of their tree top hiding places and dive headfirst into the water.  They are too far away to see how successful they are.  I stop at a bench and sit down, scanning the water with my binoculars.  A blue heron sits in the same tree I saw it in the last time I was here, its head is tucked backwards behind a wing; catching a nap before an evening of foraging. 

Widgeons cruising off the coast

A mixed flotilla of grebes, coots and ducks hang out in the center of the pond.  The ducks are all dabbling for moss and aquatic grass, their white vents showing in a brilliant contrast to the water.  Among the widgeon and mallard are diminutive green headed teal and wood ducks.  The odd coots spin in circles and jerk their heads in quick short motions, they hunt for water boatmen and insect larva.  They will occasionally dive and swim for a few feet to really stir the bottom up.  Interspersed are tiny pied-billed grebes. 

Weird old coot, bottom left, the other two are mallards

 They look like little battle cruisers, streamlined bodies, their heads rested on their backs looking like con-towers.  They have a fierce expression to match their military shape.  These birds are strictly predators.  They hunt small fish and large bugs.  All grebes, who all eat fish, exhibit a striking behavior; they pluck their downy feathers and eat them.  There's not been a lot of research done to examine the behavior but it's surmised that they do this to protect their soft stomachs from the many spiky bones of the fish.  I finished my loop walking against the Chilcotin ditch.  It's still very full and has a swift current, which is surprising.  The ditch is fed by cottonwood creek, which is low but not as low as is usual for the winter.  Cottonwood is fed by melt water and mountain run off.  I wonder if this change will bring more birds this year to Fountain Valley?