Caesar Pond Prowl

Chilling out at the dock before our boat ride!

 I went for a morning pond prowl with our niece, Nan, who spent the night with us before heading to points south. 

And, what a wonderful morning it was. We began by seeing the great blue heron stalking frogs.

As we watched the heron, a pair of mallards took off for the north end of the pond.

We turned and headed north along the western shore as well. As we motored along, we heard the staccato rattle call of a kingfisher.

These skittish birds drive me nuts as I can rarely get close enough to photograph them. Indeed, this one took off as we got within about 80 feet of it.

It flew from tree to tree toward the north end, and as usual, I couldn't quite get a sharp photo.

One of the best shots came when a second kingfisher got a bit territorial and they flew off across the pond.

We headed toward the one active beaver lodge to see if anyone was home;-)

And then, we went as far north as we could into the boggy part of the pond.

We hung out for a few minutes checking out the old beaver lodge, which is difficult to get the pond prowler close to.

The thought of chocolate chip pancakes and Nan's nearing departure time for home had us hightailing it for the dock. But, then Nan heard a loon calling. Well, we decided that the loon was worth investigating! We got lucky enough to be in the right place, at the right time, when the loon popped up from a dive. Wow! What a gorgeous bird;-)

I am rarely in position to photograph the red of the loon's eye as I am usually facing into the sun when photographing him. These photos aren't as tack sharp as I would wish, but it was thrilling to be so near (well, we weren't that close as I was using a telephoto lens...) so that Nan could get the full Maine experience!

Laurie, Mom, and Dad canoeing on Woodbury Pond many moons ago!

I dedicate this blog post to my dearly departed dad. Today is the 15th anniversary of his death. Each year, I tend to see lots of wildlife on this date. I think he is helping to solidify the mutual bond we have with Mama Nature! Cheers, Dad!