The wildlife on the lake this spring has been very abundant and I am loving it! I spotted a bear swimming across the lake right toward the cabin. 😳 She was gorgeous and huge. I wish I had a chance to snap a picture or take a video of her swimming but the kitties were out at the time and I wanted to round them up since she was headed straight for our shoreline. By the time I got them all in and closed the doors, the bear had reached land and was happily trotting up into the forest.
We have a new deer friend who has been hanging around a lot and sleeping in the swamp cabbage at night. If I were a deer, I'd sleep there too. It's a soft place to land, it smells delicious (a cross between marijuana and flowers), and the leaves of the plants surrounding her when she lays down at night are taller than she is, providing a wonderful little enclosure around her. She's very friendly with us and has gotten quite used to us. Normally, deer run off if we make any movements or noise, but she just hangs around. She's learned she can trust us. That warms my heart.
Yesterday, I saw an otter on the dock next door. She was so cute! Flopping around on the dock back and forth, sniffing all around. I couldn't decide if she had caught a fish and was celebrating and enjoying the scent or if another type of animal might have been there previously that she was enjoying the scent of. Either way, it was adorable watching her for so long. When she swam off, she swam so quickly! Very unlike the beavers and nutria who often swim with their head above water in a more slow and steady stream. She went under but not very deep. I could see her motion under the water and she seemed to propel herself forward about 50 feet with each kick or paddle. It was amazing to watch.
The bald eagles are back and there are two so I'm hoping that means there is a baby or babies. Year before last, we had two juvenile eagles to watch. We got to watch them learn to fish with their parents. And one of the parents was on our log boom the other day, facing the cabin! Normally, they face out into the lake, looking for fish. Instead, they were facing right at us so I got a great view of them with the binoculars. I love their little feather "pants". It's the cutest thing! Today, the parents were circling overhead out in the main body of the lake. They looked graceful as they playfully danced on the wind – most likely looking for fish.
I can't wait for the Canada Geese to have their babies. I've seen several of them all plump from pregnancy so it should be happening soon. We've also been experiencing "goose wars" – our name for their territorial behavior once the female goose is pregnant or has eggs nearby. Watching the male defend the female is incredibly sweet.
And of course, the ducks, loons, grebes, kingfishers, and great blue herons are all happy that spring has arrived too. Their beautiful bird songs are a delightful alarm clock each morning.
I'd love to hear about the wildlife you can see in your area. What fun things are you experiencing with wildlife this Spring? Let me know in the comments.
**Bear wearing leaf crown, Deer wearing leaf crown, Canada Goose on the lake, and Great Blue Heron AI art by Blume Bauer.
