Ahhh! Spring Is Here - Finally

Spring is finally here in NE Ohio and it was great to be outside without a coat, hat and gloves this last weekend.  I was able to take advantage of it by spending the afternoon at Wellington Reservoir in Wellington, OH and had a great time spotting and shooting the various wildlife like the blue-winged teal above.

I must say, these painted turtles sure seem to be enjoying themselves in the warmer weather.  I don't think an explanation is needed for what they're up to in the photo above and the guy (or girl - heck, I don't know) below was in this position for quite a while apparently just soaking up the sun.  

This pileated woodpecker was making a lot of noise and after looking all over for it I finally spotted it and was able to get some shots.  Check out the size of that hole his left foot is on the edge of. I caught him leaning completely in it several times leaving only the very tip of his tail slightly exposed.  In fact, I've added another shot from a slightly different angle trying to get the scale of that hole in relation to the bird better

While watching the pileated woodpecker this red-headed woodpecker showed and posed for a couple photos.  I can't say I've seen one of these before so this was a nice surprise.  In fact, though I've seen a pileated woodpecker before I've not gotten a good shot of one until today.  And the blue-winged teal was new to me.  Then again, maybe these are new to me because I'm taking time to identify what I shoot.  It's all part of the enjoyment and what a great way to learn.

Here's another new one for me.  A muskrat - not a beaver.  I just hadn't thought of it before but upon looking this up I now know the difference.  While you're noticing those ferocious looking claws you'll also notice there's no webbing between the toes while the beavers hind feet are fully webbed.  And then there's the difference in tails, size, weight, etc.

This next duck is a new to me.  It's called a Bufflehead, or sometimes, butterball.  The male is quite distinct from the female as is usually the case in the animal kingdom.  (And then there's the turtles - male and female all look the same to me).  Here's one shot of a male with his females and another of a lone male as he streaked by.

I'll leave off for now with the ever-present goose.  On the one hand they can be a nuisance.  On the other, they do offer some entertainment and almost constant shooting practice.