Around Elk Lake: Ducks Unlimited

One of the quirkiest things my son has done was to buy special plates for a black 1985 Cadillac Fleetwood. It's not that he bought the plates, but what they said that didn't seem to go along with a Cadillac. When he was starting college, he needed a car. A very generous friend of mine had this car and just gave it to him. So you have this eighteen year old kid driving a black caddy and then he buys Kentucky plates for the car that say “ducks unlimited”. The good thing was that part of the proceeds from the plates went to wildlife conservation and I could always find his car. It just made me laugh---it still does.

Speaking of ducks---many different ducks have shown up over the past couple of weeks as Lake Skeegamog is pretty much frozen and right in front of our cottage is a cut where there are weeds and fish just 50 feet in front of us. The ducks stop in to feed and preen. Some of the ducks I have seen are golden eyes, common mergansers, hooded mergansers, Northern Shovelers and my favorite, buffleheads. I have yet to see the Elk Lake loons, but I have heard them.

And it’s not just ducks. The Canada Geese have been flying overhead, honking their way south. I know they are as common as blackbirds here, but I love to see their familiar V flying overhead and hearing the honking as if to alert all within hearing that they are coming and are warning all to stay out of their way. When I lived in Kentucky for 11 years, I really missed seeing the geese flying over.

The most fascinating sight I have seen was yesterday. Out of the corner of my eye I saw something huge that was white flying just over the top of the water. At closer inspection, what I spied were two swans flying. Now maybe Elk Lake year-round residents have seen swans fly, but I never have. They were just as graceful in the air as they are swimming on the lake.

I don’t know if I’m seeing all these ducks because of migration or because the lake is quiet without all the boats. (Though I did see someone kayaking last week.) If anyone knows, please respond to this post.

Anyway, it has been fun to see the different types of fowl on the lake these past couple of weeks. I hope all living around the lake are enjoying it as much as I am.