Bona Dea Update

Bona Dea was still very cloudy with very light rain and very cool. However, there was more wildlife out today than yesterday. There seem to be more American Crows on the dead tree limbs on the banks of Lake Dardanelle across from the park today. Don't know why they like that particular place. Also some were flying around in the park area. On Prairie Creek up above the spillway there was a new family of Canadian Geese that had 6 babies. They eventually wandered up the spillway and into Waldon Pond and then on to Swinging Bridge Trail where I walked right pass them with the parents only slightly concerned. I noticed the nesting female on the island in Waldon Pond still there. She should have hatched her eggs by now. The male is still hanging around watching out for her. A sad note is that the family of geese I took a photo of in a recent post only has 1 of the 5 littles ones left. This means that a predator probably has gotten them like a hawk or owl or turtle etc. Also some people may have stolen them. This happens each year as you will see the parents with fewer and fewer of the babies. If they survive to be about 4 weeks old they will be big enough to survive. When I was walking back in, I noticed a Red-headed Woodpecker bird. These are bigger woodpeckers with their total head colored in a bright dark red with solid black wings and a rather long beak. I haven't seen another one of these in some time. I fed the fish at the spillway and the Red-eared Slider turtle came back to help himself. Going to have to get a net and move it into another pool of water. I looked for the Alligator and did not see it. That is a hit and miss thing. You are fortunate when you see it. The Northern Cardinals were really all over the place with their singing. Also Tufted Titmouse birds were calling out loud.