A digger bee neighborhood has been found along the Reservoir Loop Trail in Thompson Park. Digger bees, also known as ground bees, burrow in dry sandy soil – making the steep orange banks along the Reservoir the perfect place for them to build a home. These bees rarely sting, but can if disturbed, so be mindful of these burrows which look like ant hills.
Digger bees live in large colonies but unlike honeybees, each female digger bee digs and provisions her own burrow. Within each burrow, there are little rooms called cells, lined with a waterproof oily substance, and filled with a mixture of pollen and nectar harvested from nearby flowering plants. In the early spring, sources of pollen include odiferous, Creekside skunk cabbages and brilliant purple crocuses. (posted 3/13/25)
Tundra Swan
Tundra Swan are a native species of swan that can be found in our area during their migration in the winter months. A smaller species of all-white swan with all-black bill, they sometimes have a yellow spot on their black facial skin in front of the eye.
Nicknamed the “whistling swan” due to their noisy calls that resemble whistling, they breed up on the Arctic tundra in summer. While on the water, they feed similar to dabbling ducks, meaning they will tip forward dunking their heads in the water to feed on mostly aquatic vegetation. (posted 3/6/2025)
Redhead
Male redhead ducks are true to their name with a cinnamon-red head, black chest and rump, gray body, and a gray-blue bill that is tipped black. A social duck that likes to raft up to other ducks, they’re also a diving duck that eats submerged vegetation. Females are much tougher to spot. They are a medium-sized, overall brown duck with a steep forehead and pale face, faint eye ring, and gray bill tipped with black. In winter, they can be found on coastal lakes. (posted 3/6/2025)
Hooded Merganser
The Hooded Merganser are a small duck with small slender bills that stands out on the water with their beautiful head crests or hoods, which is also the feature that they are named after. The male has an extravagant bold black and white hood, and the female sports a stylish hood as well but in a cinnamon color. The hoods can be raised or lowered, changing the duck’s appearance quite a bit.
The males stand out with a bold black head with a white patch, a white chest, and a black upper body that pops against the chestnut color of its flanks. Females are a bit duller with overall brownish crest and grey-brown body.
They are a diving duck that primarily eats fish but has the broadest diet of the local merganser species, also eating aquatic insects, crustaceans, amphibians, vegetation and even mollusks according to Cornell Labs “All About Birds” webpage. They are one of the few ducks that are cavity nesters as well as partake in brood parasitism.
Canvasback
Canvasback ducks standout among the other ducks on a pond or reservoir with their large bodies and large sloping foreheads. Males have a black chest and rump that contrast significantly with its white body, and they have a beautiful reddish head with a stout neck. Females also have a distinctive large, sloped head but with brown coloration and less contrast between their grey body and dark chest and rear. They are a diving duck that is omnivorous but tend to eat rhizomes and tubers from aquatic plants. (posted 2/21/2025)
Brant
Brant is a species of goose that frequents our area in the winter when they can be found in our coastal areas along beaches and in brackish bays. They are a compact goose with black neck, brownish back, and pale underparts. In our area, the Atlantic subspecies is the expected variation found. They are noted to have pale bellies and an incomplete white necklace on its black neck. While known for eating eelgrass and other aquatic vegetation, some flocks here on the East Coast have also started to use upland fields to graze on grass and can will mix with flocks of Canada Goose while feeding. (posted 2/5/2025)
Gadwall
An often-overlooked duck, the Gadwall is not showy at first glance. The male lacks any of the bright pops of color other ducks usually fashion. That isn’t to say they aren’t a beautiful duck! Males are intricately patterned with gray, brown, and black with a distinctive black rump-patch. Sometimes they reveal a white patch in its secondary feathers on its wing. Females are less distinctive and resemble a female mallard, except they have a thinner and darker orange bill. Gadwalls are a dabbling duck that swims in slightly deeper water. (posted 2/5/2025)
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Yellow-bellied sapsuckers (Sphyrapicus varius) are a species of woodpecker that drill rows of holes in trees to feed on sap and will eat any insects that get caught in the sugary substance. Both male and female sapsuckers have a red cap, but the male also has a red throat like the one pictured. You can slightly see the yellow coloring on the belly, this is where they get their name from. This color can range from whitish to pale yellow. Fall and winter are a great time to spot them, often hearing them before you see them. They make a nasal mewing call that is often repeated.
If you look along the bark of the tree in the above picture taken at
Huber Woods Park, you can see the horizontal row of holes the male sapsucker is making.
(posted 1/29/2025)
Red Fox Tracks
Winter is a time of year when activity from wildlife tends to slow down. Whether animals are hibernating, conserving energy, or moving to warmer weather, we don’t see as much activity as we do during other times of the year. However, not all animals take refuge during the winter months. Red foxes, Vulpes vulpes, are an animal that can be seen throughout the seasons and remain active even in unfavorable weather.
One reason red foxes stay active during the winter is because their prey species - small mammals like mice, squirrels and rabbits - don't hibernate. Red foxes have adapted to this lifestyle and have no physiological need to hibernate.
Pictured above are tracks from a red fox that has been frequenting the grounds of
Huber Woods Park. The tracks show the fox's unsuccessful attempt at hunting and a squirrel's triumphant escape.
(posted 1/27/2025)Bufflehead
The Bufflehead is a tiny duck that really stands out but can abruptly vanish and resurface as they feed. From a distance, males are a striking black and white; but in the right light, their black feathers are quite iridescent and shine glossy green and purple. Females are mostly blackish-brown with a small single white cheek patch, greyish flanks, and possibly a small white wing stripe that is sometimes visible.
According to the Cornell Lab “All About Birds” webpage, an interesting but little-known fact is that Buffleheads almost exclusively nest in holes excavated by Northern Flickers. (posted 1/24/2025)
American Wigeon
The American Wigeon is a beautiful dabbling duck that stands out on the water. The male has a gleaming white crown on the forehead with green eye patch and a prominent white patch on its rump that contrasts nicely against black undertail feathers. These compact ducks have short pale bills tipped in black, round heads with greyish-brown head, and brownish-red flanks. Females have a warm brown coloration and a brownish-gray head color. They prefer quite lakes, ponds, and wetlands; and are one of the shier duck species, although they can be quite noisy themselves. (posted 1/24/2025)
American Coot
Don’t be fooled by the American Coot! While it may look like a duck swimming on water, it is more closely related to rails. Instead of the webbed feet of a duck, the American Coot has big feet and broad, plated-looking lobes on each of its toes that are flexible enough for walking on land – which is the best way to see its unusual feet.
This plump waterbird has an overall dark gray coloration, a white-pointed bill tipped with a black ring and topped with a red shield, and stunning red eyes. These odd-looking birds can be found in any aquatic environment during winter. Feeding mainly on aquatic plants, they prefer areas that have heavy stands of emergent aquatic vegetation along the shoreline. (posted 1/13/2025)
American Black Ducks
American Black Ducks are a large duck species that are commonly found on the East Coast in a wide variety of aquatic habitats. They can often be found with their close relative, the Mallard ducks. Males have a dark chocolate brown coloration on its flanks, a pale grey face with a brown cap, and an olive-yellow bill. Females have darker, duller bills than the males.
When in flight or flapping, you’ll notice the top side of the wings have a blueish-purple rectangular mark that is bordered by black on its secondary feathers. The underside of the wing is white with a contrasting gray edge coloration. American Black Ducks are primarily dabbling ducks that can be seen eating plant material at the surface of the water. Sometimes, they will dive to eat crustaceans, mollusks, or fish; or will waddle on land grazing, plucking seeds, grubbing for roots, or even picking berries. (posted 1/6/2025)
American Pipit
A bird that frequently goes unnoticed by many people is an inconspicuous songbird called the American Pipit. While these birds can be found during the migration seasons of spring and fall, the best opportunity to see these birds is often during the winter. Frequently they can be found in open bare fields or recently plowed fields, walking discreetly along the ground. They can also be spotted foraging for insects in wet areas such as marshes. Oftentimes, it will be seen bobbing its tail.
The American Pipit is small and slender, with a short thin bill and variable coloration of grayish brown on its upper portions and yellowish or cinnamon-ish streaking on its lower body parts. Although very tough to detect on the ground, in flight the bird gives a distinctive “Pi-Pit” flight call and stands out with prominent white outer tail feathers. (posted 12/20/2024)