Spring

Max here!

Remember how Tami and I took a walk to check out the snow situation yesterday?   The first place we went was to check on the eagles.   There was no sign of them, I’m afraid.  But I’m pretty sure I saw something moving in the nest, so it could be that the adult was hunkered down to keep warm.  The wind was whipping down the lake, and it was pretty chilly, in spite of the warm sunshine.

Tami was hoping it was time for her loons to be back, but there was still ice from the state park beach, past our point all the way off to the left as far as we could see.

But there was some open water on either side of the strip of land to the beaver hut.  So we headed over there.  Not enough open water for loons to land, but we thought we might see signs of the beavers . . . or the pileated woodpecker.

As we reached the beaver hut, Tami saw a robin on a branch

you would’ve thought she’d won Powerball or something.  After she snapped the picture, she started grinning and hopping around.  “It’s a robin!  Spring’s here . . . spring’s here . . . uh-huh . . . it’s Robin!”

Sheesh, you’d think she’d never seen one before!

Right after that she saw a Wood Duck cruising the shoreline and heading our way.  So she scooched down into the bushes.  While we waited for it to pass by, Tami told me about them.

Did you know they lay their eggs as high as 50 feet up, in the crevice of a tree?  And just one day after the chicks hatch, they jump down and follow their mother?

Whoa.  I’d like to see that.

Then some Ring-Necked Ducks came by.  From a distance, they can look a little like loons . . .  but up close I could definitely tell the difference.

We were just about to leave when a pair of Canadian Geese landed on the lake rather noisily.  They called back and forth, their song echoing loudly from one end of the lake to the other.  The Ring-Necked and Wood ducks all scattered.  Just as Tami was about to take a photo, we found out why  . . .

A humongous flock landed!   I’ve never seen so many at one time!  There had to be sixty of them if not more.

And they were kind of goofy too.  I mean, they were rolling in the water . . . they ran across it and slapped their wings on the water’s surface . . . they dove under only to pop right back up.

And they hollered endlessly!  It was like a geese party.  They made such a racket, the eagle soared overhead to see what was going on.  Which made them holler even louder, of course!

Tami and I were cracking up, watching their behavior.

They must have had a long flight, because some of them were a little sleepy

Some of them were cranky

And then there were those who didn’t know which end was up

When Tami, Ben and I went back later, they had calmed down quite a bit and  a few were sunning themselves on the ice.

It was wicked interesting to watch them in action like that.  Neither Tami nor I have ever seen them so active.