A post that falls more to the artistic side of the scale than most of my shots do. Well, the Ring-necked Ducks above are just a good exposure showing their patterned bills and side coloration. The shot below though really struck me as the sun was dipping. A swimming rodent, either a muskrat or beaver appeared to be pushing something through the water, causing an extra wide wake and made for a really intriguing sight.

I also happened back towards the Great Blue Heron rookery and caught a couple of approach flights back-lit in the fading light.

It was one of the most quiet visits I have made to the Walden & Sawhill Ponds complex in Boulder. Usually this place serves up 25 plus species in just a few hours and without much effort. Yesterday, the most common sound was the welcome croaking of frogs. The Cottonwood Marsh pond, which was low last year and featured vast mudflats is now full and was packed with a good variety of ducks, but many of the smaller ponds and the woodlots were quiet.

Even so I had a great 4.5 mile walk and as always enjoyed my time there. It is such a large, segmented area that it is possible to go long periods without seeing another hiker, even as aircraft take off from the local airport with gliders in tow just over the treetops. Soon the ponds and trees will be full of migrants arriving or passing through. So perhaps it was good to have an afternoon to just soak up the environment.