Strathroy Lagoons!

Black-necked Stilts have been expanding their nesting range and have actually nested at the Strathroy lagoons in recent years. Typically they are considered a west coast species, but populations exist along the eastern Seaboard. They spend much of the day wading in shallow waters to capture aquatic invertebrates, small crustaceans, amphibians, snails and tiny fish. They swing the bill side to side in the water to skim invertebrates from the surface. To capture small fish, they sometimes chase them into the shallows where the fish become trapped.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-necked_Stilt/lifehistory

Mama Wood Duck has her "hands full", escorting 28 fluffy ducklings across the water. Wood Ducks will sometimes lay their eggs in the nests of other Wood Ducks.

There were 4 families of Wood Ducks in total. This Mom had a more manageable number of ducklings.

The alarm was sounded as we turned the corner on the trail. Mama Wood Duck ushered her family further away from land.

A pair of noisy Killdeer...we didn't see a performance of their "broken wing trick" so we must not have been too close to the young or nest.

Back to Canatara:

Common Yellowthroat - a cute looking bandit!

Noisy Cooper's Hawk

Cooper's Hawk smorgasbord! - Look closely at the branch, if you dare!

It might look cute, but this Gosling is going to be a menace as an adult! When I was standing at the edge of the pond, the small family swam through the channel, climbed out of the water and the youngster made a bee line towards me, hissing all the way!! I had witnessed its temperament and thought I could hold my ground. When it bit the back of my shoe I quickly departed!

Red-headed Woodpecker eating sumac berries. Always exciting to see this species in Canatara! They nested in the park 2 years in a row, a few years back.

As I walked past a grove of trees, an American Robin made an exceptional amount of noise, considering it had it's mouth fall. I assumed that there were young  nearby and Dad was warning the kids about my presence.

However, after passing by and looking back, I saw the subject of the distress. The young Red-tailed Hawk flew down from a tree branch to ground level. Blue Jays began harassing it and it soon flew away.

Flies in airplane formation!

Although Raccoons are considered to be mostly nocturnal, in the spring time with hungry babies to feed, adult raccoons are often found hunting during daylight hours.

Smart Spider! Something caught my attention on this group of flowers. When I zoomed in with my binoculars, I noticed the spider, so well hidden, in the creases of the flower petals!