Field Notes:
A 5-mile Radius Post
Just across the road from home lies a small, glacial remnant, pothole lake. It is shallow with lily pads and bordered with reeds and cattails. From a simple ground blind, I recently spent a spring evening watching female Hooded Mergansers tend to the tasks of motherhood along the nearby shoreline.
With crest raised and eyes alert, a female Hooded Merganser surveys the shallows along this pothole lake.
The mother merganser trails closely behind her duckling as they cross the sunlit lake. For the next few weeks, all of life’s challenges will be met together.
A Deeper Perspective
While watching Hooded Mergansers from the blind, my attention wandered to the opposite shore. A deer emerged from the grass. And a Trumpeter Swan patrolled the shallows, keeping a close eye on his mate nested on top of an old beaver lodge.
A great evening spent on the little unnamed lake across the road.
All images captured on a Nikon Z6lll camera paired with a Nikkor Z 180-600mm lens.
The 5-Mile Radius Project
Check out More posts from within 5 miles of my home by clicking the link above.
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