Bona Dea Update

In the afternoon of 03-23-11, Mr. Paul Ray and myself went to the Russellville, AR Golf Disc Course where the Illinois Bayou and Lake Dardanelle Converge. I had a few days earlier took a photo of a real pretty wildflower and we went back to check it out and to see other things. These are 2 photos of a Thalictrum thalictroides (Rue-anemone)-buttercup (wildflower family). We experimented with this equipment and then went over to Bona Dea for the rest of our photo trip. Paul took these photos shown here with his equipment and one was this Parrot's Feather-water plant-on Black Water Swamp. This is the green spidery plant with the top layer above water and the rest below. It shows a very pretty pattern. It was a day for the turtles with this photo showing a group of basking type turtles on a log in Black Water Swamp. And then he spied a Red-eared Slider Turtle on a log at the same pond. You can see why it is called Red-eared. In this same area a female Downy Woodpecker flew on a tree trunk and we shot it live. We noticed a male Canadian Goose right close to the trail in between Waldon Pond and Black Water Swamp. Then I remembered that its mate was setting on its nest on the island in Waldon Pond. So he was guarding the nest as he was watching people coming and going on the trail close by. Some of them with dogs etc. One of these photos looks like a painting as shot through dense vegetation. On same pond there was a pair of Gadwall ducks. Photo with the 2 small ducks together. The photo showing the numerous ducks together was shot in same pond with identification as follows from left to right: Male Northern Shoveler, Male Blue-winged Teal, Blue-winged Teal, Male Northern Shoveler dabbing under water, 2 male Green-winged Teals together, female Greens behind duck dabbing, black American Coot, 2 male Northern Shovelers together(look at their shovel beaks), female Northern Shoveler and behind another black American Coot. this was really a variety of ducks all together at one place with the Gadwall's close by and the geese and probably some others around also. A surprise as most ducks have migrated out of the area or had mated in pairs and left the groups by now.