Saturday, March 1, 2025

Saturday Critters #585

 I went back to Lake of the Lilies to see if I could find the Trumpeter Swan 
and perhaps get some better pictures than last week.

I lucked out and saw it right before I was getting ready to leave.


Trumpeter Swan
Bigger than the Tundra Swan, plump body, short legs and an extremely long neck.
It has mostly white plumage, the neck and body can be stained with mud and algae.
The bill is triangular in outline, 
and looks disproportionately large for the size of the head...but I did not think so.

There is only one that I could find at the lake and I have never seen one here before this winter.

There were also a lot of Hooded Mergansers, mostly male.






This is the lake...
It had frozen over in part because of the very cold February we experienced.


- walking on thin ice -


It is a beautiful, peaceful spot, well maintained by the homeowners and the town.
For a reason unbeknownst to me, part of the area surrounding the lake the homeowners maintain,
even though their homes are across the street.
The township maintains the rest! 

It felt awesome to get out, get some fresh air...camera in hand!

Sharing today's images with Eileen at 
Viewing Nature With Eileen 
for Saturday Critters
 

6 comments:

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

You took some amazing photos! And thin ice makes a neat part of some of the photos! We don't see that here. But we have pollen so thick I could photograph it! haha! Hugs!

The Furry Gnome said...

Beautiful pictures!

Marie Smith said...

Time in nature lifts my spirits too, Debbie. Great photos. Glad you got out!

Breathtaking said...

Hi Debbie :)
Your photos are amazing. The Mergansers are one of my favourite ducks and you have photographed them beautifully, It's a beautiful spot too, the Lake of the Lilies has lots of variety in water birds, and I would love to sit on that bench and take in the view.
All the best
Sonjia.

BeachGypsy said...

Such pretty swans!! So many of the birds and ducks you photograph I've never seen in these parts, so they are interesting to see!

eileeninmd said...

Hello Debbie,
Awesome photo of the Trumpeter Swan. I love the Hooded Merganser, they are one of my favorite ducks. Love the last scene of the lake with the ducks and swans. Thank you for your critter post and sharing your link! Take care, have a wonderful weekend. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.