Back to the Lake

We made it back to the lake last weekend.  It is so good to see all the familiar sights of the lake; the birds, turtles, snakes, water lilies, and all the rest. This post covers three trips to the lake spread over about a week.

Click on any image to enlarge it.

First up, turtles.

The turtles are abundant this year, but some mornings there are lots, and other morning not very many.  It is probably a timing issue.  

The water lilies are finally out.

There are also lots of shore birds ranging from kingfishers, grackles, swallows, and more.

And, of course, the loons.  There is a nesting pair on the south end of the lake.  Sometimes they were both out on the water, or one on the nest, or, like today, nowhere to be seen.  I keep my distance from the nest.  the image below was taken with a long lens and heavily cropped.

There was also a family of mergansers.

I’ve seen two water snakes sunning themselves on fallen trees.  

We never know what we will find when we go out on the lake.  Kayaks allow us to get into very shallow water to see things that those on speeding boats and jet skis will never see.  For me, the shallow areas are the best part of the lake.  We are so fortunate that the south end of the lake is not built up and kept in its natural form.

Mark