Ducks in the Woods

Last night's full, drenching 2.5 inch rain added to the earlier rains of April has produced flooding in the southern Woods and full ponds I have not seen in two years. This Thursday evening at 6 I put on my rubber knee boots and entered the Woods via the NW Ponds Entrance. The Northwest Pond at 2.79 feet was full and brimming over to the cattail marsh south.. full on the north side to near the trail. The East Pond reached 3.37 feet. The depth  in the Wash at the post was 25.5 inches. Now from drought to surfeit.
I waded carefully into the almost knee deep water south of the big northern cottonwoods, to the Main Southwest trail and up the East West Trail, almost overtopping my boots several times and disturbing a small flock of ducks plus one barred owl. (What does an owl do with this flooding? thrive or suffer?)
This is a return to one of the selective forces/ states that existed 2-4 years ago. Trees' roots will be challenged to survive the drowning. Earthworms and invertebrates will be driven out of flooded soils or die. Mosquitoes should have enough time to breed, although I have not seen any this season, to now. Water of this depth will last for two weeks to a month or more, depending on how much warm dry wind or additional spring rain we receive. Tree roots will be loosened and if strong wind storms shake the southern trees, they may fall. There was not much down that I encountered from the blustery 20-50 mph winds of the past 12 hours..just dead tops ready to break.
This will drown understory herbaceous spp. in the low lying areas. and keep the understory clear. A full return of the lower Woods to its sometimes-wetland status. I keep looking for turtles, and have not seen one red-eared slider, snapper or box. No turtles, no salamanders, no frogs. I think the last two dry springs have been hard on them. I suspect they will return now. It will be nice to welcome them back.
Up on the Tree Loop Amanda was conducting one last run of their ecology experiment with predator scent and sunflower seeds.