It was yet another gloomy day and I headed out on what I assumed was going to be a futile journey to find a picture. I am pleased to report that Pocahontas State Park proved my assumption to be incorrect.
It was so quiet today - no wind, no people - that I heard ducks quacking in an area I hadn't heard them before because it appeared to be just woods. I went to investigate and as I did, I also started to hear water running, kind of like a babbling brook.
Not more than 30 feet off the path, in an area normally obscured by vegetation, there is a small, old beaver dam that had created a fair sized marsh. The water I heard was the feeder stream running over the top of the dam.
At the far side of the marsh, about 50 yards away, was a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) looking for its evening meal. Swimming nearby was a Mallard drake (Anas platyrhynchos), also looking for a bite. I was surprised and quite pleased that I got both of them in the frame.
