Who else is visiting at Ell Pond?

Many footsteps around Ell Pond with a camera in hand have led to a variety of discoveries.

1. Mel and Rose are not the only birds on the pond although they are local favorites in the city of Melrose, Massachusetts and have been for years.

Each winter, as soon as the ice begins to melt, several other visitors arrive. Mel andRose seem bewildered by the antics of the hooded mergansers as they dip and dive under the water.

Recently two proud hooded mergansers came up with the catch of the day.

This female hooded merganser was enjoying her lunch. Take a close look and you can see the tail of the fish.

This male hooded merganser at Ell Pond also pulled up a fish for his lunch.

This common merganser looked on as Ell Pond was filled recently with visiting gulls, geese, ducks and swans.

Could this be a sign that we are getting closer to Spring?