As happens every year, the Ottawa River overflows its banks and many areas are affected, including Mud Lake. By the third week of the month the trails had dried out enough to walk without boots, although the lowest 100 metres was still flooded preventing a full circumnavigation. (The bridge being out will likely cause a tour to the bike path for the summer when doing the full walk around.)
Lots of new spring growth was showing.
Poison ivy, white and pink honeysuckle, blue violets, yellow violets, ferns, garlic mustard (standing tall and blossom).
Birds were plentiful. Although few female ducks were in view as they were sitting on their nests.
Spotted sandpiper, a distant black-crowned night heron, Canada goose, male mallard, female mallard (not on nest, just sleeping), northern flicker, male and female red-winged blackbird.
One Canada goose pair likely have a nest near the viewing platform as several times we found this goose acting as guard and playing "king of the castle" on the rock next to path to the platform.
We thought that turkey population had been reduced, with the NCC's efforts, to one male, but it seems a new male has arrived as there are now two. The "new" male has bright red jowls/wattles/caruncles.
The chickadees, nuthatches and a few downy woodpeckers were welcoming any and all handouts
There seemed to be a good number of dragonflies about, it didn't long to find some empty nymph carcasses/molds
Painted turtles were sunning themselves on several logs, and if you click on the second picture you'll see a large snapping turtle in the second picture. There are 32 painted turtles in the third picture, more outside the picture.
A raccoon was looking for a handout, but no one was offering it anything.
A muskrat, followed shortly by its mate, swam into an area where it likely had it's den.
Garter snakes were busy looking for a meal, while avoiding humans
One afternoon there were four artists working at the "lookout" just along the trail from the Cassels St. A Canada goose wanted to model for them and stayed there for over an hour with them,.
