Exploring Kootenay Lake

There is something atavistic about loons. Is it their stark plumage? Their haunting calls? Their wilderness preference? Perhaps it is all of these.

The loons below were seen in the early morning, yesterday and today, as they patrolled parallel to the lakeshore, but some distance away. The journey involved peering into the depths for fish, diving, preening, calling, and (seemingly) lollygagging.

Maybe it isn’t as much that loons are atavistic, as it is that they evoke an atavistic response in this loon watcher.

 

In the spring a young man’s osprey’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love.
Alfred Lord Tennison, 1835

He glances over at his inamorata.

He visits.

They separate.

They rest.

The Kootenay Lake website offers a discussion and many pictures of local ospreys.

Ospreys are back at the Lake. If they have been here previously, they will usually reclaim an earlier nest. If the bird is a first–time breeder or the nest was destroyed, a new one must be built. This seems to involve a fair bit of trial and error. Below are two pictures of the same piling taken on different years. Each time sticks were brought in; each time after a bit of consideration, the site was abandoned.

In April 2009, ospreys brought sticks to this piling and then abandoned it.

In April 2011, an osprey brought one stick to the same piling, pondered for a while and left.

The male Hooded Merganser in breeding plumage is one of the most comely ducks in the neighbourhood. Yet, it is not seen all that often.

The Kootenay Lake website offers other pictures of local mergansers on the page about diving ducks.

Three merganser species have been seen around the Lake. The commonly seen one is appropriately named the Common Merganser. Much harder to find, and smallest of all, is the Hooded Merganser (the hoodie). Only rarely seen is the Red–breasted Merganser.

I was fortunate yesterday to watch a Hooded Merganser couple on a local pond. Sometimes the male had his hood up, sometimes down. I even managed to record them in flight (below).

Male Hooded Merganser in breeding plumage with his hood raised

The hoodie couple cruising across the pond

The couple takes off

Migration is hard work. The Tundra Swans that visit Kootenay Lake have travelled only about 800 kilometres of a 2,800 kilometre journey to the tundra of the Canadian Arctic where they will breed. Feeding and rest stops along the way are needed, and both take place at Kootenay Lake.

The Kootenay Lake website offers other pictures of local Tundra Swans.

Today a flock of over three–dozen Tundra Swans stopped by the West Arm. They settled on the lake between Troup (south shore) and Emory’s Corner (north shore). This is not a shallow area and so there was not much evidence of feeding. Resting was another matter. Look at the final picture: two of the four swans shown have their eyes closed (look at their white eyes). Indeed, at any given moment, perhaps a third of the swans were asleep. How they managed to maintain their position is unclear.