Market Lake

A late spring storm at Market Lake wild life refuge offered spectaular skies and giant thunder heads.
This is always an interesting area in all seasons.  We started visiting Market Lake when our kids were small.  The marshes host a variety of ducks and water fowl as well as sand hill cranes.  Thursday when we drove out to make a visit the geese had their babies out and about along with the malards and their broods.

Things cycle in Mother Nature and the musket rats are no longer part of the wildlife.  No more mounded houses made of reeds grace the water.  When we first started making periodic trips to Market Lake they were scattered throughout the marsh and musk rats could be seen swimming back and forth from the bank to their houses.  Now ducks, geese, koots, hawks red winged blackbirds, yellow headed blackbirds and cranes are the main residents.

Later in the summer brown headed cattails will line the water's edge.  The reeds will turn from gold to green. 

The trill of the red winged blackbirds bounced from one bird to another.