Migrations

Fall is the time of colored leaves, of maple and poplar, aspen and willow. Reds, oranges, forest and shore drenched in yellows. Larch parade up the mountains newly revealed in their glorious fine yellow needles on awkward spindly branches.

It is also the time of migration. Here on our local lake the shallow mudflats host the layover of duck, herons, swans, gulls, and goose. Rafts of them float and dive to sweep up an underwater bounty. A day or more of rest and then they lift off in great flights for the next lake or marshland on their long journeys south.

Some Trumpeter Swans visited a back bay the other day. They swam and fed in the shallows with the odd duck and a blue heron.

These swans are big powerful birds and their bright white makes them stand out. They seem so powerful that it seems other birds will fly with them as a sort of talisman against the predations of the bald eagles.

To one side of all of this activity were the Bonaparte Gulls. While some stood in the mudbanks others would make short flights to the shallows looking for small fish. A quick turn and furtive dive would follow as they circle about.

Killdeer walked the shore. A short video of one below. Note the ripples in the shallow water behind. These are the small fish surfacing that the gulls were after.