The Ottawa River was in flood by third week of April making it almost impossible to walk around the lake.
There were female wood ducks around in the first week, but by the third week there were none to be seen. They were likely all on nest.
Likely because of the news about the hormonal turkeys bothering some people, the authorities tried to remove the remaining three (16 others seemed to have left on their own last fall) and apparently succeeded in removing one. But a few weeks later at least three females arrived at the Lake (Bottom left).
After being amongst the turkeys at breeding season for many year and never having been bothered, this year one did take exception to my being on the path. Nothing like having a large wild turkey jumping up on your back. Did you know that they have sharp spurs on their legs that can poke holes in clothing?
Later in the month things had calmed down.
Looks like a few people have their turkeys out for a walk....
Some of the turtles, the painted turtles at least, were up and sunning themselves.
One had a spider crawling down its head.
There didn't seem to be as many squirrels around as normal, and two were showing signs of "wear".
This black squirrel had a split ear.
While this female grey squirrel looked OK on the right side, when she turned you could see she was missing her left eye.
She was also suffering fur loss top and bottom. She looked like a very sad squirrel.
A couple of trees which had weathered last May's windstorm and this month's ice storm, have been killed by the beavers girdling them.
But the beaver lodge was providing a home for a Canada Goose nest. (Bottom centre of the first picture.) A second nest was well hidden behind some brush.
The scilla was in full bloom. A domestic plant that is quite dense in a few spots.
The horsetail was starting to sprout and the trout lilies were out in good numbers.
Spring growth was making its appearence on many bushes.
Cardinals and red-winged blackbirds were in full song. (See video below)
A few flickers were hammering away at trees, I managed to get a partial image of one.
A pair of mergansers were in a sheltered area of the Ottawa River that is flowing VERY fast by Mud Lake.
The male won't be around much longer.
The coopers hawk, that I had heard was nesting at Mud Lake was sitting high up in a tree overlooking the forzen lake in early April, at the end of the month I finally located the nest. Way up amongst many tree branches. The best I managed was a picture of tail feathers in the nest (after just missing a full head shot!)
