I haven’t been to the Portage in a few weeks, so I decided to visit this morrning after the rain. We haven’t had rain in such a long time, even the weeds stopped growing. I was glad not to have seen the Portage parched.

I knew the birds would be waking up to a fresher start. The same family of Wood Ducks was on their log.

Wood Ducks

A lot of birds were busy preening. This Northern Flicker looked up only once and then went back to tending his feathers.

Northern Flicker

Can’t blame the Green Heron for preening after spending all morning hunting in the muck of the duckweed.

Green Heron

A lot more birds were looking like juveniles. This is the time of year when even Robins can get confusing.

Juvenile American Robin

But the Portage has more Robins than anywhere else I’ve been. Here’s a grown up.

I saw only a couple Baltimore Orioles. This one was a beginner.

Baltimore Oriole

At one point, a Killdeer flew in to sit on a log.

Killdeer

A long, hot week lies ahead. There’s more rain in the forecast too. Summer is here.

Wood Ducks