After working with the geese, we continued along the the road beside the same ice covered lake, where we observed birds in the marshes. As we walked along the road, a Marsh Wren called out from the cat tails.
This tiny bird was really close. This allowed me to make a large image of this little wren in the frame.
I had the opportunity of making several images as the wren flew and perched to several cat tails that were located along the edge of the frozen lake.
Another bird that we find at the marshes is the American Coot. In this image, the coot is walking on the ice close to the cat tails at the the edge of the march.
These coots are really distinctive. They have these huge green legs and feet that make it easy to walk through reeds, grasses and cat tails that forms the marsh.
It is fun to watch the coots in the lakes during this time of the year. The coots typically pair up and are looking for mates. They can be seen chasing one another around the lake. This behavior is really prevalent when these birds are on open water. Later in the day, the ice often melts as the sun rises, warming the mountain air. I have made several images of the coots exhibiting this behavior later in the day during previous years.