Patrick Marsh

Today Travalon and I went to Patrick Marsh in Sun Prairie, which we pass every time we go to Horicon Marsh. I had been curious about it for a long time, and the last time we had passed it, we saw a bunch of pelicans on Patrick Lake. Today we saw plenty of them too.

I like how the one on the right in this picture is all scrunched up as it swims.

We also saw this pretty bird. I think it's a kingbird.

And cormorants! This is what they look like outside of the water.

We followed the trail back into the woods and discovered a small, green pond.

We got most of the way around the lake, then doubled back and hiked on the other side of the little green pond. Then we discovered another trail on the other side of the lake. From that trail we could see the cormorants swimming. They are really interesting when they swim - only their heads and necks are above the water!

Don't they look like synchronized swimmers in this photo?

We also saw this duck (a teal?) with lots of teenage offspring.

Supposedly Patrick Marsh has the largest population of yellow-headed blackbirds east of the Mississippi, so I was keeping my eyes out for one. All we saw were lots of red-winged blackbirds, but then I did see a flash of yellow! It wasn't a yellow-headed blackbird; it was a yellow warbler!

So we are adding Patrick Marsh to the list of excellent birdwatching spots.

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