Feathers and Fur

We've had lots of activity out back this week, including a pair of beavers that have taken a particular interest in something on the bank of our side of the pond, the big snapping turtles that have come out of hibernation and are lazily swimming about, and the usual (and not-so-usual*) variety of water fowl* that show up this time of year.

This morning as we ate breakfast indoors, a rafter (yes I had to look that one up) of turkeys -- about 15 in all -- swooped into the back yard. The dogs bolted out of their doggy door in a frenzy. The turkeys were too stupid to fly back out of the yard, and we had a good laugh watching them run across the yard with the little dogs in pursuit.

A few minutes later, my daughter said, "What are those white feathers up in that tree?" Sure enough, there was a great blue heron in one of our pine trees with the morning light back-lighting its feathers. I was able to sneak up on it and snap a photo before three (!) of them flew out of the trees and across the pond. I don't think the pink fuzzy bathrobe provided much in the way of camouflage.

Bigger.




* A pie-billed grebe has been hanging around. The is the first we've seen on the pond, and apparently they're considered endangered in Massachusetts.