Back to the Lake

It has been a while since we’ve been on the lake.  This morning was a beautiful morning to go.  The temps were cool, the winds calm, and the water flat.  What more could we ask for.

We no more than started down the lakeshore when we found this female mallard.  Although we were fairly close, she was not too bothered by our presence.  When we got even with her, she turned around and sway away from us.

We finally got to see the beautiful water lilies in bloom this morning.  There were none the last time out.  I love the crisp white blossoms on the ever-changing color of the water.

There were lots of shore birds flying around us this morning.  This one finally lit in a tree and let me take a portrait.

The sun was bright in the sky, lighting these cattails and shore grasses.

Rose wins the “eagle eye” award this morning.  She spotted this bald eagle.  I got a couple traditional poses with the eagle looking to the left and to the right.

There is something a bit unnerving when the eagle turns its gaze on you, especially when close.  I’m not quite sure what it has in mind.

I saw this heron take flight around a point on the shore.  Fortunately it landed just a short distance away on the log.  It posed for a couple photos, then flew away.  These are such a sight when in flight.  No good photos of it in flight, though.

As we were headed back across the lake toward home, another heron flew by.

We saw this loon twice.  The first sighting was at a distance.  Then, as we were almost back to shore, there it was again.  This time it was much closer.  Unfortunately, we have only seen a single loon this season, no pairs.  Others have seen pairs on other parts of the lake, but we’ve not seen them at the south end.

I hope you can all get out and enjoy all the things of beauty around you.  Have a great weekend.

Mark