Birding From The Dock: Greatest Takes Of The Summer P3
The dock is a great place for birding. Even if you don’t see any birds, life is good when surrounded by water.
If asked what I expected to see around the dock this summer, the Canada Goose would top the list. They are plentiful here on Lake Huron and easy to identify.
Usually, even when multiple families are nearby, they keep a little space between them on the water as they raise their young in their breeding territory.
This year, there was a super extended family that traveled together. There were even more in this group, straggling behind the others, that didn’t make the shot.Seeing Mute Swans was another sighting I expected. I did see a couple of pairs. But I was surprised by a group of Swans flying overhead. That was new to me.
And, then, they flew back by the other way, even more surprising.
Seeing a Swan take off at sunrise was another beautiful moment.
Swans were brought to North America from Europe over one hundred years ago to beautify parks and ponds. Like many non-native species of plants and animals, these Swans have little natural population control, so communities are left to figure out how to maintain numbers conducive to a healthy ecosystem. They can be aggressive and not good neighbors, even for humans sometimes.
One of my favorite sightings was the Belted Kingfisher. I quickly learned to recognize its rattle-like voice. Soon after the call sounded, it…
0 Comments