Ducks and Lake Ice
It was cold last night and the temperature has not risen above freezing today. In these conditions it is amazing how fast ice forms on the lake surface. An undulating streak of thin crusty ice is growing fast, starting at the south shore and extending almost to the opposite side. Waterfowl are congregating in the open water along the north shore in our cove.
My last count totaled more than fifty Mallards and Lesser Scaups feeding near our dock. The Scaups are diving ducks and stay in deeper water, counting them is often difficult because they are constantly immersed. To get an accurate total I often count each circular wake because I know a Scaup will show up soon. The Mallards are dabbling ducks and stay in shallow water, often in the weeds. Most of the time they are upside down with heads in the water and tails in the air. I enjoy watching the waterfowl gather and will miss them after they migrate south this winter.
The seasonal changes at the lake are quite dramatic, something different is always happening. Sometimes it is quiet and serene, other times noisy and full of energy. Now, evening sunsets reflect the intense color of the sky changing everything from brown and gray to intense fuschia, orange and gold, and morning fog will create a misty shroud where trees and shoreline disappear and reappear as pale undefined shapes. Soon it will all be white and solid, unmoving, crystalizing, freezing and the waterfowl will be gone until spring. And, another chapter of life will begin on the lake.
Alaska Artist, Gail Niebrugge
