We aren’t privy to their presence; mallard ducks are everywhere, but we get attached to “ours.”
For weeks in the early spring, we go from seeing adult males and females motoring around the lake and feasting under our bird feeders to just those emerald-headed boys taking advantage of the buffet. The girls are, no doubt, stuck somewhere safe on a nest they, with little help from their temporary mate, have created.
Yes, temporary. Unlike swans, who mate for life, ducks are opportunistic maters. Boys and girls link up in October or November. They stay together till spring when they mate and make ducklings. Often more than one male will fertilize the female’s eggs, making duckling siblings actually half brothers and sisters. Wow! Sounds like the plot of a Lifetime movie.
This year we’ve had several broods return to the buffet under the feeders. We refer to them as well-known groups. There’s the Magnificent Seven; they’re the oldest bunch and most frequent visitors. The Fab Four often join them. Jim was the first to identify the Jackson 5. We had a Dynamic Duo that showed up early and often for a couple weeks, but we’ve not seen them lately. I wonder if they became food for hawks that frequent the area or owls we hear but seldom see.
There is just nothing as adorable as a fluffy baby duck (unless it’s a gangly baby giraffe, a clumsy puppy, a playful kitten, or an energetic kid goat). Up to this point, all the ducklings look like mama duck. As summer progresses, the boys will morph. Their emerald-green heads with a white ring at the base of the neck will proclaim their maleness. They will become the philandering feathered friends their fathers are.
As the season stretches on and fall approaches, we encounter other breeds of ducks, some really cute ones — buffleheads and hooded mergansers. Adult male buffleheads have a large patch of white at the back of their disproportionally large heads and a white breast, side, and flank. Females and juvenile males have a smaller patch of white on the cheek. The male hooded mergansers have a black-bordered white crest that they raise during mating (and conflicts I’m told). They have a streak of brown on the side and flank and two black and white stripes at the side of their breast. It’s the female that I find the most fetching. She may have a dull gray body, but she displays the cutest reddish-brown crest that seems always in need of a combing. You can probably tell I spend a lot of time observing birds from our home on the west channel of Bluewater Drive.
We’ve been treated to sightings of raptors from our kitchen window that looks out on the bird feeders in the yard. Unsuspecting sparrows, finches, and other backyard birds present a tasty appetizer to red-tailed hawks and Cooper’s hawks that stake out the area. I’ve seen very closely the underbelly and red tail of a hawk that streaked toward the feeder and took a perpendicular turn up the side of the house to avoid a collision with the brick and window. It resembled an Air Force Thunderbird performing aerial feats. Another time a Cooper’s hawk perched on a neighbor’s light post eyeing the delicious winged smorgasbord on our feeder.
When we take the pontoon out of the channel and into Little Pike and Big Pike, we witness additional raptors. It’s fascinating to watch bald eagles as they show off their fishing skills. Just last week we observed a juvenile eagle whose head had turned white but tail feathers were still a mix of black and white. A dead tree on the southeast side of Big Pike Lake provides a sturdy perch for the eagles that frequent the area. That’s where we first spotted the juvenile last week. As we drew closer, Jim cut the motor and we anchored there for a while to observe the majestic bird. We watched as he circled and swooped twice, both times coming up empty-taloned. That juvenile needs more practice. We’ve witnessed adults hitting the surface of the water and lifting off with a fish dangling from one foot or both. They transport their meals to leafy branches of trees surrounding the lake. What a show!
Ospreys put on dazzling displays of fishing prowess as well. Like eagles, ospreys have predominantly white heads. They have a brownish-black stripe extending beyond their eyes. The feathers covering the upper body are dark brown on top and white beneath. If you’re close enough, you’ll notice a short crest atop their head. Jim and I have witnessed many successful hunts by Ospreys. They hover over the lake then plunge into the water to grab fish with their open talons. They don’t seem to mind getting wet to secure a meal.
I have but scratched the surface of the myriad of birds that share our environment in Warsaw. I could recount stories of double-crested cormorants, trumpeter swans, great blue herons, great egrets, sandhill cranes, and the ever-unpopular Canada geese. Perhaps another time.
Here’s the Thing: Whether they live here full-time or temporarily on their migratory trek, the feathered friends who share Pike Lake with us are amazing — their growth and development, their behaviors, their beauty and majesty. Birdwatching is not for everyone. I don’t even consider myself a birdwatcher: I am but a bird appreciator. My copy of The National Wildlife Federation’s Field Guide to Birds of North America is full of tabs marking all the birds I’ve encountered since we bought our Warsaw home.
If you’ve not taken a stroll on the Rivergreenway, consider doing so on a not-so-oppressively hot day. Look around, look up, notice the creatures (winged and non-winged) making the RG and Wabash River their buffet table. You won’t be disappointed.
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Editor’s Note: This is one of a series of articles written by a group of retired and current teachers — Ken Ballinger, Billy Kreigh, Marianne Darr-Norman, and Anna Spalding. Their intent is to spur discussions at the dinner table and elsewhere. You may also voice your thoughts and reactions via The News-Banner’s letters to editor.
