My expectations were minimal while heading down the path that circles Essex Street Marsh, after all it was sunny, bright,warm and late in the day — usually not a good time for critters to be out and about.
It wasn’t long, however, until I started seeing painted turtles sunning themselves on whatever object brought them above water level. With that in mind, please remember that I love turtles and will not, usually, forgo an opportunity to photograph them and share the results. One of my subject turtles was stretched out to the point that I don’t believe it could stretch any more.
I was next taken by a painted sitting on a discarded truck tire. While I was imaging the turtle, a neighbor began climbing out of the water onto the tire. It slipped back into the water three times before successfully making it onto the tire … it yawned right in the
middle of my capture. I imagined it saying, “I’m all tired out!”
The juvenile pied-billed grebe was a first for my lens and I
was happy to capture it. I never seem to tire of seeing ducks bottom up while feeding … these mallards provided a show that I really enjoyed.
The remaining pictures are from early spring and summer.