By the pond formed by the last dam on Lake Creek I ran into Steven McDonald and we remarked on a very thin layer of ice covering over half of the water's surface. Steven spotted a Yellow-rumped Warbler hopping (and occasionally sliding) around on it, very actively foraging. Later we spotted another, along with a Ruby-crowned Kinglet and a Common Yellowthroat, all hopping around on the ice. I've never seen this before and really enjoyed watching them. I'm guessing these birds were foraging for insects, although I wish I knew for sure since it seems like it would be too cold to find any. All of these birds weigh about half an ounce, light enough for this very thin layer of ice to support them. Here are a few photos I got of the original Yellow-rumped Warbler on the ice:
In the strip of woods along the north edge of the pond I discovered another ice-related natural phenomenon. Frostweed (Verbesina virginica) is a common native shrub that favors shade and blooms in the fall. Its clusters of white flowers are very valuable to pollinators, including migrating Monarch butterflies. So why is its common name "frostweed?" After it has died off in the winter, a hard freeze will cause the bases of the stems to split open and water and sap will ooze out the cracks to form thin ribbons of ice in interesting shapes. There were a few patches of frostweed in this patch of woods and just about every plant had "bloomed" into an ice sculpture! Here are a few photos:
Look for frostweed after our next hard freeze!
It was also fun to see some returning wild ducks on the creek and on the Parmer Village Pond. Here are some American Wigeon that were on the pond. What a beautiful bird!
Here's my complete bird list.
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