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It's A Wild, Wild Life

Category: Lake Hamilton          Date: 02/26/09

"Lake Hamilton wildlife" may sound like a party at the sandbar but these beautiful creatures are of the furry and feathered varieties. Much like their human counterparts, however, they can be seen all over the lake strutting their stuff. It's just the kind of stuff you can let your kids watch!

I get out and take pictures all the time and it's kind of like hunting; you have to be patient, slow and quiet to get the really good shots. Mornings are always good, especially by boat but you don't necessarily have to be out on the water for great photo opportunities. Some of my best stuff was captured right out my back door.

Take this one for instance - the Green Heron is
not an unusual
site around here,
but watching one catching its breakfast is quite fascinating. This guy was on my own dock (I've learned to keep
my camera by
the back door!).









  They stand at the edge very still,
  watching and waiting. All of a
  sudden they'll just step off, drop
  to the water beak first and come
  right back up with their prize.
  You have to be fast or you'll miss
  the whole thing!

















The Blue Heron is another regular. I
see them everywhere. They'll fish from
a dock too but seem to prefer wading around in shallow water. They tend to
fly very low, just above the water, and
look a bit funny with their long legs
trailing behind them.












There is something of a misconception about Canadian Geese; most people assume they're only here in the winter as they are a migratory species. But apparently, some liked it here and stayed! The geese population certainly increases during the winter but some stay with us year-round. The image below is a common sight in the Spring and early Summer.



  Canadian Geese
  aren't as trusting
  as Mallards but will
  gladly gobble down
  bread and crackers
  if you throw them far
  enough. They are
  excellent parents,
  both Mom & Dad,
  and keep a watchful
  eye on their brood.












And they're just about
the cutest
little puffs
of yellow
down you've
ever seen!









As with the geese, the Mallard population grows during the winter but some of them hang out year-round too. This pair took a break from paddling and hitched a ride on a partially submerged log.



If you even act like you're going to throw the Mallards a snack they'll be on you like white on rice! We were feeding these little guys and noticed the fish hanging out below waiting for a missed morsel to sink. The ducklings didn't seem to care.



  Squirrels are as common as
  trees in Arkansas but it
  still thrills me to get one to
  hold still long enough to
  get a good shot. This one was
  in a tree in my back yard and
  didn't seem frightened at all.
  In fact, he popped up and
  struck a pose for me!




















Another migratory species, Seagulls, only seem to show
up during the winter. I always associated them with salt-
water areas but since birds fly
South for the winter, these must be Yankee Seagulls that come down from the Great Lakes!







Now here's the most elusive of them all - Mr. Beaver. They are late night partiers but if you're up early enough, you might just catch one on his way home from the bar. He's kind of hard to make out in this pic and it's the best one I've ever taken! You rarely see more than their head and the impressive wake they leave behind.



You're not likely to see them at night but you can darn sure hear them! One scared the crap out of me just the other night. I had been burning a pile of leaves and sticks down by the water earlier that day and went out one more time after dark to make sure the fire was secure. I guess I interupted one having dinner and he slapped the water with his mighty tail.

It sounds like a big, flat rock being tossed in the water and if you're not ready for it you're liable to come out of your skin! He did it several more times as I spoke to him and I could just make out his big, fat head slipping through the water in the moonlight.

Well, it's past 2 a.m. boys & girls so let's do some more wildlife another time! Thanks for visiting.......Clay