Our Warsaw area wildlife sightings continue to grow. We have never seen this abundance and variety in such a short space of time on our stretch of the Indian River. In addition to the resident pair of Canada Geese that arrived on March 25th, the three pairs of Hooded Mergansers on March 31st, and a pair of Common Goldeneyes on April 1st, two pair of Wood Ducks, for us a rare sighting, appeared on the morning of the 2nd.
Later that afternoon, we spotted three male Common Mergansers with a single female, together with five male Hooded Mergansers, vying for the attention of a lone female. About 6:30 in the evening I saw two dark objects further north on the river. Peter managed to move quietly down to the river and get a closer look. For the first time, we’ve seen two American Black Ducks. As they flew off, the white under the wings was clearly visible.
Just to add icing to the cake, this morning, April 3rd, we spied a River Otter diving in the water then coming up onto the snow-covered bank to enjoy a meal. The Eastern Chipmunks have woken up, the Mink is about, the American Robins have arrived, and the female Northern Cardinal is already knocking on a neighbour’s window, seeing a rival in the glass, so the pair must have established their territory for breeding. Welcome Spring!
Stephenie Armstrong
Hooded Merganser (Karl Egressy)
Eastern Chipmunk
Wood Duck – Jeff Keller
