Stumped

As I mentioned in my previous post; I had found the perfect hiding place. Sneaking up to a dead tree stump, keeping a straight line between myself the stump and my target, I was able to keep out of sight.

Sight is of course extremely important for the birds in the Wetlands for their own safety. Hawks are never far away. 

And they occasionally hunt in numbers.

I have become a regular visitor to the Wetlands and I'm gradually being accepted by the mallards and geese there, although new arrivals are not so willing to accept my proximity. Hence the need for a little camouflage. 

The dead tree stump in the foreground could not have been better located. It was just large enough to hide behind and even had a small ledge to rest my camera lens on. I happily hid there and snapped photos of three male wood ducks that morning.

The male wood ducks showed so much contrast in their plumage.

And with the sunlight breaking through the cloud cover, they really stood out against their surroundings.

They dabbled in the shallows.

Mingled with the mallards.

Before they eventually made their way over to the far side of the water and out of camera range.

I was extremely happy with my morning's photography, and as a bonus, while I was staying hidden behind the dead tree stump I noticed something that I would need to return to that location for. I'd observed ripples coming from the small grassy island. There was no sign of what was making the ripples which were larger than a fish would make but also smaller than the deep undulation that a beaver makes. It had to be a muskrat.

I returned to my hiding spot a few days later and eagerly waited for the sun to rise over the trees and for the muskrat to show itself. I saw the same ripples that I'd seen before and then the curve of a back as the muskrat dived, and then a tail which momentarily whipped over the surface of the water. I waited with the pleasant warmth of the morning sun on my back. The wind rustled through the reeds behind me and made its own ripples on the surface of the water, but the muskrat did not show itself. 

I had almost given up when I realized that curiously, even though the wind had died down, I could still hear a rustling in the reeds. I looked down at my left boot and there sitting in the water right beside me was the muskrat, who, judging by how many chewed up pieces of reed stems were littered around it in the water, had been there for quite some time. I ever so slowly pulled my camera off the tree stump ledge it was propped on, did an about-turn and aimed my lens at the muskrat who was simply too close. I had to stand on tiptoes with my lens fully zoomed out for this photo.

The tree stump had again proved useful in keeping me well hidden. Perhaps, I thought, I might use other dead tree stumps that litter the Wetlands to capture the ever-elusive belted kingfishers or even the crafty mink that I had only been able to observe from a distance, bounding over fallen branches.

Searching every nook and cranny as it hunted for food.

... to be continued.

Copyright © scottswildencounters.blogspot.com 2020 Scott Atkinson All Rights Reserved.

Location: Borden Wetlands, Kitchener, ON N2E, Canada

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