Birds on the Move

 

Finally, after a dull drab winter, the bright colors of brilliantly marked waterfowl again grace our local waters. 

 

Spending the early morning in a pop-up blind along a wetland I observed Canada geese, mallards and wood ducks. 

 

Male Red-winged Blackbirds were busy singing their lusty territorial song as they lay claim the their preferred nesting areas.  I spotted Red-wings for the first time this year on Monday.  Today was my first sighting of Wood Ducks.

 

 

I was unable to reach the Meadow Grounds Lake by car this morning because of the snow remaining from Wednesdays storm; however from the top of the mountain I could both see and hear a flock of Tundra Swans on the lake. Returning with the truck close to mid day I found that the swans had moved on with only this mixed flock of ducks remaining. The flock seen here contained 3 male Red-heads, one male Red-breasted Merganser, and one male Common Golden-eye. Last weekend I observed Hooded Mergansers, Lesser Scaup, and Ring-necked ducks here.

I still find it hard to believe that soon this vibrant wildlife community will be gone. Even now the level is dropping as the first of the stop logs were removed from the dam this past week.

 

The mission of the Fish and Boat Commission is to protect, conserve, and enhance the Commonwealth’s aquatic resources and provide fishing and boating opportunities.

 

With lakes drawn down or drained all over the state, fish hatcheries scheduled to close, and boat ramp maintenance everywhere put on hold it seems to me that the time has come for either the PFBC to rewrite their mission statement or begin to step up to the plate.