It was a crisp morning on May 12th, with no wind and the mostly sunny skies were quite nice during another visit to Fontenelle Park, in north Omaha.
Once again, it was a rewarding visit since seasonal migrants were present had not been previously observed at this green space.
The bug hatch at the lagoon was an attractant to three species of swallows, including the newly noted Northern Rough-winged Swallow, and the previously recorded Barn Swallow and Tree Swallow.
The bug hatch at the lagoon was an attractant to three species of swallows, including the newly noted Northern Rough-winged Swallow, and the previously recorded Barn Swallow and Tree Swallow.
At the wood grove on the eastern hillside, there were four species newly seen, including a couple of Swainson's Thrush, a Least Flycatcher bug catching, a Yellow Warbler in its vivid color and the mighty ground-walker, an Ovenbird. Several Yellow-rumped Warblers were busy among the arboreal realm. A White-throated Sparrow was still lingering. A couple of Brown Thrashers were seen, skulking.
A plethora of goslings were present at the north side of the murky lagoon, so "Mother Goose" was kept busy watching over the broods. Dad was also closeby. One pair were watching over more than 20 of the small geese, which is seemingly more than one pair would have hatched. Watching these little fowl forage and walk along, provided some appreciated moments expressive of the attentive focus of an avian mother. Both parents talked to the gosling progeny. Many undeniably cute views of the individual goslings going along their way were conveyed this day's morning by being careful in approaching the birds, not being intrusive, and allowing the geese to move around in their manner.
Other waterfowl present were numbers of the Wood Duck, several Northern Shovelers, and a pair each of the Mallard and Blue-winged Teal.
Among the relict, emergent cattails on at the west side of the lagoon, were a few Red-winged Blackbirds. Nothing special, but still enjoyable because of the bit of different habitat.
The prominent dismal aspect of the visit, was the trashy conditions of the park. Obviously no neighborhood group has held a recent cleanup day here. Also, the contractors associated with the construction of a new picnic pavilion, could not maintain a trash free work-site. Some large pieces of cardboard were thrown over the sediment fence, and back into their work area, since the apparent alternative would be that it would end up as debris within the lagoon.