A desert cottontail bolted when it saw me approaching yesterday in a scrubland section at my go-to park as of late: Floyd Lamb. I guess this behavior surprised me, because at Clark County Wetlands Park, the cottontails are more generous than that: they will let you stand there and stare for a bit, as long as you keep your distance (maybe about 15-20 feet).
I think the one at Floyd Lamb was more skittish due to the exposed area where it roamed, vs. at the wetlands, where there’s so much vegetation in most places, making for good hiding in a pinch, eg, the willow or reed thickets.
It was a slow day bird-wise. I arrived around 9 a.m. and spotted the great egret that’s been showing up routinely by one of the lakes. Not much going on at the park as far as perching birds. About a dozen American robins drew the attention of another photographer who was there. I went over to chat with him. He said he also spotted two scrub-jays. I wandered the area where he had seen them but it was a ghost town.
I did spot some dark-eyed juncos. You could always depend on them when all else fails. They, too, have been mainstays at the park the last few weeks, bouncing around on the grass searching for food, then fleeing to tree branches when humans meander by.
At any rate, I observed something peculiar in a small group of snow geese that were on the grass sleeping. Their beaks were nuzzled into their feathers like usual when they snooze, but I noticed for the first time that they were standing on one leg! Imagine sleeping while standing on one leg? Their other legs were fully retracted and their feet nestled in the bosom of their feathers. I surmised they were warming their feet due to coming from the water into the chilly air.
Also, near the egret’s hang-out spot, another argument broke out among Canadian geese. Two of them were quietly minding their own business near a nook surrounded by tall cattail when another pair came paddling along. The invaders started talking smack as they approached, and then the other two that had been peaceful up until then became vocal, as well. Then the lunging started, and within a few seconds, the invaders had successfully bullied the quiet twosome away and then commandeered their spot.
I think the pickings may have been slim in the lake as far as food — namely, fish. In fact, there were two men fishing at that lake, and one walked away from his pole and took a jaunt to another nearby lake. I saw him standing there, gazing at the placid water surface of the other lake. There was nothing doing. Not even a solitary duck. So he headed back to his original spot.
the prickly pressed 