Lake Anne News: Bob's For the Birds -- May

Sent by Bob on May 20:

Hummingbirds finally showed up, two weeks later than normal.
Beaver on the lake, several times.
Yellow shafted flickers. First time around our cottage.
Two pairs of mallards nesting nearby. One in Derek's Bay, one at Sally's.
Black and white warblers moving along the shoreline several times in the last two weeks.
Evening grosbeaks moving along the shoreline. First appearance in more than 10 years.
Healthy (big) mink moving along the shoreline. First sighting since last May.
At least three loons on the lake.
A pair of smaller ducks off Green Mountain, maybe a pair of grebes. Too far to tell. Scared by a loon surfacing within two yards of them!
Lots of pileated woodpecker activity.
And, lastly, the usual golden eagles everywhere (this one's for Stephanie!)

*****

On the other side of the lake, April and May:

Ice out April 28/29.
Just before the ice went, WW looked out and said, "There's an eagle on the lake." Indeed there was, an golden eagle together with a small bird. WW thought maybe an eaglet but that would be a rush for a pair of eagles to build a nest, lay eggs, hatch and fledge the young all before the end of April. As we watched, the little bird flew away, while the eagle continued to stand there. My wild guess--the melting ice on the lake messed with the eagle's depth perception, crashed after catching the smaller bird, then sat there stunned. Later, it flew off. A day or so later, I was headed in to St. Sauveur when a golden eagle flew over me and landed beside (presumably) his or her mate. Very distracting, but I stayed on the road!
After the ice went, there were four or five geese-intensive days which meant early wake-up calls for those in their vicinity (us). They start discussing travel plans at about 4:30 a.m. Fortunately, they don't stay all summer.
First thunderstorm of the year, May 2, produced a lovely rainbow...also first of the year.

Lake Anne News