Taking advantage of the nice weather for a change I walked the rail trail between Villiers Line and Cameron Line. I heard five Ruffed Grouse drumming and one Killdeer flying over. A creek runs alongside the trail for most of the distance. At one point I saw a large dark bird fly across the creek and disappear into the brush on the trail side. My small dog, running ahead of me as usual, got to the spot and looked over the bank. Immediately a drake Wood Duck started thrashing about in the water achieving his wish of scaring the dog away. As the drake flew away the female appeared from nowhere, flew away and then landed, watching. I circled round to the far side of the creek and worked back to the same spot. The female started calling and I could see a hole in the bank no more than two feet above the water level. Would the ducks be nesting in such a spot? In the evening I watched Wild Turkeys lecking in a cornfield on Ackison Road, just south of the Omemee Rail Trail. There were six males displaying and twice as many females. I also listened for American Woodcock at the Trent Wildlife Sanctuary. The first bird started calling at 7:44 pm.
Location: Keene, etc.
Observer: Tony Bigg
