Evening is a beautiful time to be out on the lake! My husband and I live only a few miles from Rainy Lake, on the Minnesota side of the border, and this weekend found us out after fish for supper as well as pictures for memories. Most of the pictures which follow were taken near the island pictured above. To see the pictures in a larger format, just click on the picture.
Pictured above is a brood of Merganser ducklings fishing for minnows. There was Mama a with them looking frazzled (see below) as the life of a Mama Duck is a "hair-raising" affair!
Most people think that all ducks say "quack" and in the case of the common merganser this is just the case. The call of the common merganser sounds something like the quack of a duck mixed with the bark of a dog and you may listen to it here. In the picture below you may see a baby merganser eating the minnow he caught while his siblings continue to fish.
But there are a lot more critters that use lakes than just ducks and loons, and we saw some of these while we were out, too. It was my husband who first saw the whitetail doe (below) that came off the rocks of the island to get a cool drink of lake water.
She was a little worried about the boat at first, notice how her ears are laid back, but after a bit she relaxed and had a sip from the lake. In the picture below, she seems to be admiring her reflection and thinking: "Wow...ain't I beautiful?" Of course deer have never been taught grammar, so we have to overlook her slang...and she is beautiful! Female deer communicate using a variety of grunts and bleats. If they are scared or suspicious, they make a loud wheezing snort.
Having had her drink, the deer (see below) turns back into the brush of the island and goes upon her merry way.
This was not the end of our outdoor adventure, though. A little while later I noticed the willow bushes on the island shore waving vigorously even though there was no wind. I watched closely to see what was making them move and out lumbered a beaver (see below) who was eating willows for dinner! Have you ever heard a beaver talk?
In a very little time, his mate came out as well and there before our excited eyes were two beavers!
The male beaver was a little fiesty about the presence of the boat and waddled down to the shore to get into the water and show his disapproval.
Whoopsie, be careful Mr. Beaver...those rocks can be slippery! Notice his flat tail, which he uses primarily for swimming...and for showing his disapproval as we shall see! Once in the water, the beaver starts swimming out to the vicinity of the boat.
A beaver's show of disapproval is to slap the water hard with his tail as he dives. Ordinarily the beaver makes a very quiet surface dive that hardly disturbs the water, but get him upset by invading his turf and he slaps the water to make a loud "SPLOOSH" and sends the water flying (see below).
While this beaver is splashing his disapproval, his mate calmly eats her supper of willows. Notice in the picture below how nifty her paw is at grabbing willow branches and bringing them to her mouth!
Yessir, there is nothing better than a quiet night out on the lake if you love wildlife and like to see critters in action. And you don't even need a boat! You can see all kinds of critters by sitting quietly on shore and keeping your eyes and ears open. I hope to see you out at the lake soon!
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