Under a thin layer of ice, two true bugs in the Crescent Water. The first is a water boatman, the second a backswimmer.
Not all of the pond was iced over. Aerators keep donut holes of water ice-free, and the edge along one side of the pond was also open. This Eastern Phoebe was making short forays over the water and sometimes dipping into it. Not, I think, to drink, but to plunge for prey! Just a guess, considering there are obviously insects to be had in the cold water.
This Phoebe (presumably the same one) seems to have been around all winter. So has this male Belted Kingfisher. He is also leery of people, but a lot noisier about it. Making dive after dive for little fish, usually not hitting, but obviously striking enough to be stick around. (Yesterday I saw him gulp down a goldfish.) The Kingfisher hovers like a Kestrel over the water before plunging, something I’ve never seen before this winter.
Backyard and Beyond 
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