November 30, 2025: Hooded Mergansers

Every fall migration is different.  Some years it's Ring-necked Ducks, others it's Buffleheads.  This year:  Hooded Mergansers.

We've seen several different groups of them stop on the lake to refuel, sometimes just two or three, other times half a dozen.  These are small diving ducks that make a quick plunge down under water to hunt for fish.  This female came up once with a meal too large to consume during her dive.

I love the pretty shape their tails make as they swim.

The explanation for this is they are small, yet tall birds with large heads that make them top heavy. 

The widespread tail helps them maintain their balance while swimming and sets a stable base for them to dive.

Tail feathers spread out for stability.

One morning there was just one pair on the water - or at least a male with aspirations to become a pair.  He was doing his best to impress his chosen bride but it seems she was either not impressed, or perhaps playing hard to get.  She spent a lot of time with her head down low or even under water.  

I took some video of him going through the courting rituals of head bobbing and dipping, but even after that great display she wandered off away from him.

But eventually she seemed to warm up enough to follow him along.

I came upon more red fruit for the animals this week, including this red apple still hanging on a tree.  

At first I thought it was the Charlie Brown Leaf of apples, the last one still clinging to its branch, but then I noticed there were quite a few more up higher.

This tree was loaded with fruit a few weeks ago, and since there were no apples rotting on the ground, I'll assume the deer, fox, bears, and squirrels have been cleaning them up.

There are also these plump, juicy cranberries growing beside the Laverack Trail behind the Meredith Village Savings Bank in Meredith Village.  

I wonder if they'd make good cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving Dinner.  Better off to leave them for the birds.

We're getting more signs of cold weather now; this gray squirrel has done a good job insulating its nest high in an oak tree with lots of fluffy leaves to keep out the cold north wind.  

A Gray Squirrel nest tucked into the fork of a tree.

Perhaps he's related to Happy Jack Squirrel in Thornton Burgess' stories Old Mother West Wind.  We'll see plenty more winter signs in the days to come.

We still have a few more weeks for migrating birds to stop by the Lakes Region so maybe we'll see some other species, but I won't mind if the mergansers keep coming.