For those of you who don't know this, I love Lick Creek Wildlife Area. No matter when I go, I always find something interesting, and it seems that few people know about it. That certainly isn't true, but at the same time, it's large enough and unused enough to make it enjoyable. I spotted a Mink in the section of the marsh above, and then I smelled smoke. Another few dozen steps showed me why:
MY MARSH IS BURNED! I don't even know why or who did this. Clearly, based on the fact that a few limited fires were still burning, it happened recently. Some sections almost looked like they were a controlled burn, but others looked uncontrolled, and the fact that fires are still present seems to indicate an uncontrolled or badly-controlled burn.
Overhead, a mournful-sounding Greater White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons) passed by back and forth. It was the only one I saw of the day, which I feel is concerning for this goose. This bird isn't supposed to be alone, at least in my opinion. I don't like how it kept flying back and forth, too.
Through a gap in the trees, I saw even more ducks and geese, as well as one Mute Swan:
Thus, I crossed over a tree as per usual and, while I was halfway across, heard a Killdeer. I went over to the nearby mudflat, and I heard nothing and saw nothing but scenery.
A little further down, I came across some Buffleheads (Bucephala albeola), my favorite diving ducks. I love the look that Bufflehead in the back is giving me:
I then spotted my first Green-winged Teals (Anas carolinensis) of the year:
I also had my first Duck-riding Gull, too! I might have made that last bit up, but the optical illusion with the Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) in front and the Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) on a sunken log behind is still very amusing to me. Also, as per usual, the American Wigeon in this photo ( the one duck just to the lower left of the illusion, that doesn't have green except for near its eye) went unnoticed until I went through my photos later. American Wigeons (Anas americana) are invisible to me in the wild. I only see them later in photos.
I then found this tree, which is not an optical illusion. The top of the tree looked quite fun, but the trunk had done this strange loop. I can't tell whether two trees have grown together or whether this one tree has split in two. Regardless, it's unusual.
At this point, I went back to the burned-over area, where I found a tree still quite on fire! I remained on the opposite side of a wide creek from the fire, just in case.
This fire eventually burned itself off when the branch broke. The fall snuffed the flames out.
After seeing this, I spooked something large and round-faced into flying and landing in a nearby tree. It was a Barred Owl! (Strix varia) I took several photos, but it was so windy that all the trees in this photo were moving at once, including the one containing the owl.
I never got a "great" photo, but any photo of an owl makes me happy. Another man showed up on the other side of the creek, and took photos of the owl, too. It eventually flew off to another tree, harassed by a few small birds, and probably a little skittish around the two of us, unfortunately.
The other man turned out to be a former neighbor of mine, whom I had not seen in years and whom I had no idea was interested in nature photography. We talked for a bit, spotting a few birds here and there. I tried to turn up a salamander, but I think it was just a bit too cold and dry for much activity here. I did see plenty of new growth everywhere, so I know spring is coming!
Overall it was an odd mix of a day. I spent the initial part of the visit putting out a few boards for future snake and amphibian searches. I'll have to see how the marsh does this spring after the burn...
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S34336774
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