It was a fairly quiet month at Mud Lake in terms of Nature. The main draw were the ducks on the Ottawa River, but there was a barred owl around for a while, plus the usual small birds.
Early in the month with no snow on the ground and minimally below zero temperatures the humans were skating on the Lake and the ducks were skating on the rivershore ice.
A pair were sitting in just right spot to catch the warm glow of the sun
A few days later the ducks were very happy to accept some cracked corn
Despite it being early January and -10°C, a pair of mallards were courting which lead to mating.
Late in the day, the ducks congregate at the Ottawa River shoreline. A few black ducks join the large flock of mallards
Hang in to the end of the video
(only 40 seconds long)
Out on the river a common goldeneye was relaxing while others were fishing for crayfish, or whatever they could find as they drifted with the strong current.
A barred owl put in an appearance for a while, drawing many photographers
The usual small birds were around asking for, and receiving, handouts (Scroll over for IDs)
Male northern cardinal
Male northern cardinal
Male downy woodpecker
Male downy woodpecker
Chickadee
Chickadee
White-breasted nuthatch
Dark-eyed junco
One of the nuthatches was a little too quick for the photographer
With cold overnights, frost forms on the ridge where there are cavities amongst the rocks for the warm air to rise. Minus 10 °C was cold enough to get some frost, but not the long feathery frost I was hoping for. (See below)
In some areas with no frost there was lichen
I have missed seeing these carrion flower berries in past visits, but they certainly stand out for me now that I have spotted them.
The wind had broken up light ice and piled it against the stronger shore ice
Two new boardwalks have been built along the trail (the section which is closed). They will be a welcome addition in the springtime.
The lack of snow and cold temperatures thickened up the ice enough for skaters. (Although there were some warning to stay off the ice early on, that weren't always listened to.)
We had a cold snap with -18°C to -20°C mid-month that produced the feathery frost I always look for up on the ridge.
While I enjoyed the frost, the birds weren't pleased with the temperatures. Every year there is usually a small flock of robins that winters over. This year there seemed to be about 20-30 birds.
They fluff themselves up until they are more ball-like than their longish more slender summer selves
They don't migrate as they have a good supply of food over the winter with all the buckthorn berries
And there are spots with small areas of open water from which they can get a drink
The juncos were busy feeding and weren't paying attention to how close I was to them,
A raven (it might have been a crow, but I am 80% sure it was a raven😊) was eating a snack and then fastidiously cleaned its beak and surveyed the area.
Only a lone female mallard and a pair of goldeneyes were at the river, not sure where the flock of ducks spend their nights when not at their daytime hangout.
The river level has been up and down most of the winter, at this point it has gone back down a bit, leaving ice shelves.
One red squirrel was clearly not enjoying the cold....
At the end of the month the temperatures moderated with open water patches appearing in a few spots. Some of the ducks found those areas preferable to the fast open water current in the river.
A few female common mergansers were in the river channel
And two female along with a male, hooded mergansers also put in an appearance
A female downy woodpecker and a male cardinal were up on the ridge
For whatever reason, a few young maple trees retaining their leaves stood out in the woods.
