With the quickening pace of spring's arrival I visited Petrie twice in the first 7 days of April. The water levels had gone down after March, but went back up again for the second visit restricting access even more.
Coming down from the Queensway, two geese were waiting patiently for the ice to thaw in the marsh, a few days later it was showing signs of melting, but still not there yet.
The first visit co-incided with about 6 or 7 muskrats actively feeding on the ice or along the shoreline amongst the dogwood bushes.
The water level on the first visit had gone down a few inches since the end of March. I almost made it past the low spot after the "look out".
A few days later, the water had risen higher than the end of March. Turtle Pond was open water and lost its south eastern shoreline.
The thick river ice mounded up on the breakwater was melting quickly
The ring-billed gulls were enjoying the temporary lake in the middle of the beach sand.
The first visit had a pair of hooded mergansers on the far side of Turtle pond. The second visit saw a pair of bufflehead ducks in the same spot. They didn't hang around. The ducks were a long way off so the photos aren't the best.... (click on a photo to enlarge it)
A group of common mergansers and a small flotilla of Canada geese were towards the west end of Turtle Pond along the line of remaining ice .
A few mallards and robins were about.
With most of Turtle Pond being free of ice on the second visit, there were no muskrats in easy view, but a fellow photographer, Chris, visiting from Russell, pointed out a beaver on top of its lodge. It was swimming around before but had moved up on the side of the lodge, with the sun behind it which made photography difficult.
The more unique part was watching was the mist coming up from the lodge, generated by the body heat of the occupying family. Plus there were quiet sounds of the youngsters in the lodge. Maybe dad was on top of the lodge, escaping the kids??😊
The sounds were too quiet to be picked up the camera's (or my phone's) microphone, but if you look closely in the video you'll see the mist.
The beavers' artistic talent as a sculptor is very much in evidence along the shoreline
The maple buds continue to swell, but ready to break yet
