Here is another sign of spring. Great Blue Herons will stay around as long as there is some open water and this one has stayed all winter. However, it has recently grown the long feathers of its breeding plumage and proudly displays them growing from its neck. This heron was hunting along the banks of Killbuck Creek.
This male American Shoveler Duck was spotted in a small pond in a farm field. The pond is temporary, but the Shoveler doesn't mind. He's here temporarily too as he makes his way north.
We would pay more attention to Mallard Ducks if they weren't so common. Even so, we are occasionally struck by the beautiful colors of the males, as seen here.
What kind of duck is this? We know it's a diving duck because the camera has caught it in the act of diving. Its head is on the right, just entering the water. The body, on the left will follow in a couple of milliseconds. It was feeding at Summit Lake and refused to stay on the surface long enough to be identified.