Loads of Dragonflies

Today was a really big day for dragonflies in the backyard.  Four different varieties were flitting around the bushes at the edge of the canal, including a pintailed pondhawk  which I haven't seen since last year.  It's was great to see one again.

This pintailed pondhawk was flashing those big brown eyes at me!

We also had a number of Eastern amberwings,  a good looking Eastern pondhawk and a really ragged looking fourspot pennant whose wings look worn out.  It may be near the end of its short life.

The little white claspers are a contrast to the light blue body of this pondhawk.

This guy looks like he's been through a war.

I guess the dragonfly community is flourishing because today I saw the discarded exoskeleton of a dragonfly larva on a leaf near the canal.  I thought it was some sort of bug for a while but on closer look I figured out what it was.  The dragonfly hatches out of the shell, called exuvium after the dragonfly leaves it behind, and becomes a flying adult.  I've seen these exuvia on the dock post before but never on a leaf.

It looks alive but nobody's home

We had something of a milestone with the Muscovy ducklings and their mom today.  It looks like mom is trying to give the babies more independence.  I found them waiting for food in the side yard this morning but without mom!  I fed them under the bushes by their pool and they ate for a while.  Mom showed up about 10 minutes later, flying in from across the canal.  So she was not far, just not with them.  Later she left with them but they were not following so closely as before.  I have seen Muscovy families that travel together when the kids are almost adult size so it is a little worrisome that she is leaving them alone so soon.  Pretty Girl did not do it so early and waited until hers were much bigger.

The babies returned again with mom in the evening and ate under the bougainvillea and by their pool.  But first I saw just one baby by himself in the yard and he started cheeping when I went out.  Then the others showed up.  So I guess he was the watch duck for the group.  The babies' coloring is changing and one is clearly bigger now and is probably a boy.  He's actually a mama's boy, staying close to her all the time.  One of the light headed babies is adventurous and strikes out on his own to explore.

Mama's boy

This adventurer has a full gullet

As for the other Muscovies, there were only 6 this morning.  We are down to the core ones, Cutie2, Cutie Tips, Pretty Girl. and Chirpie and males Black Foot, Blanco, Big Boy, Lazlo and a few others.  And they did not stay until all the seeds were gone, retreating to the west.  I think they still don't like the little hills of sand.  It was the same story tonight with the older ducks not wanting to venture into the main part of the backyard.  The younger one and the girls did come and eat.  I put some food farther to the west in the backyard for the timid ones.   The mottled ducks were happy to have the remainder of the seeds all to themselves.  Muscovy Lazlo started posturing like a big adult duck, and hissing as if he was trying to impress the ladies.  He was born back in March so he still seems young for this kind of thing.

Acting like a big man

Our female anhinga Ani was out on the dock this morning drying her wings as usual.  This afternoon she was sitting on the dock post which actually looked kind of uncomfortable.  I tossed bread to the fish from the top of the dock so as not to disturb her but that meant I was throwing it over her into the water.  She was a little puzzled as the fish and birds demolished their meal.  But she didn't move from her spot.

Drying out after a little fishing

Sitting pretty

The squirrel population has been down lately so the peanuts lasted 2 days in one feeder though they were gone from the other.

Finally, today I was able to confirm that the first female boat-tailed grackle of the season has indeed returned to the backyard.  She ate some seeds on the ground and just generally looked around.  She was darker in color than many of the females I've seen which were more brown in color.

Welcome back!