Life at Boomer Lake with Deb, Sunday September 30, 2012
And Now We Have...
It has been a very cloudy week with a little rain, which fortunately, is the only thing saving the Southern Cove, where so many birds like to be in a private spot. That was where I found the American Wigeon during the early part of the week. When I first spotted him(definitely a male), I at first thought that it was a scaup. Ah, the beauty of a bit of telephoto lens! Thus far, I have only seen one pair.
American Coots
Here’s a shot of the American Coots en masse. There are a good forty birds on the lake now, including an interesting shot of where they are treading water. They tend to call a couple of places home, which is different from where they were over the spring and summer. This might be a new crop.
Cooper's Hawk
This juvenile Cooper’s Hawk was on the Southern Cove right by the water. I’m not sure if he was trying to catch a fish or was more interested in a Mallard, but it left right after I got this photo. I’d like to think that I kept a bird from being slaughtered. It might have made for an interesting picture, but I’d really rather not see things like that sometimes.
The first time that I saw a hawk catch another bird was when a Cooper’s drove a Mourning Dove right into a glass storm door, and killed it instantly when I was in Wilmington, DE. It’s a fact of nature, but it still bothers me, nonetheless.
Cattle Egret Pair
An actual pair of Cattle Egrets have been on the lake! I got the pair yesterday, and a shot of this single about mid-week. The only other times that I have seen them, is when they have been on land. I heard that they tend to hang around in pastures with the cows, where the cows tend to disturb large insects for them to eat.
Forster's Tern and Ring-Billed Gull
The Forster’s Terns are still in the area here and there was a sighting on a Ring-Billed Gull. These were the gulls that I was used to seeing when I lived in Maine, one of the two that enjoyed hanging around at the local dumps. It is so much nicer and more dignified to see them on a lake like this.
Just Hangin' Around...
Here’s a few other tidbits that I thought you might enjoy seeing, as well. I considered it interesting to see this Mallard bathing right beside this Canada Goose. Interspecies relations among the water birds are fairly good. Unless, of course, you happen to be in the area where a Great Blue Heron just doesn’t want to be bothered. This one fluffed up and shook his feathers at this Canada Goose to send it on its way.
How’s this for a candid shot? This Canada Goose is nearly overhead when I managed to get this.
