April 26, 2020 - Swans and a Coyote
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Last Tuesday, our lake was still 95% covered with ice. There was just a narrow band of open water on two sides of the lake, but that was enough for four Trumpeter Swans to land and start feeding. This pair was right on the other side of our bay, so I took a few shots of them.
When I heard the swans calling, I went out on our porch to see them. I noticed something moving across the ice at the far end of the lake. Ours is a small lake, but that is still a long distance from where I was standing. I recognized that it was a Coyote. I decided to try a shot just to see what I would get. I focused on the Coyote and this is the full frame shot that I took.
On Friday, three days later, the lake was ice-free, and the swans were back. I went down to our shoreline with my camera and was just watching them. They started to slowly swim toward me. I guess they were just curious because they kept coming until they were only 30 feet from me.
This is a follow-up to my March 22 posting. I showed you a freshly excavated hole in a tree and said I would keep my trail camera focused on it to see what bird made the hole. I actually found this hole in a different tree that made it easier to set up my trail camera. I did get some photos of a deer passing by the tree. Finally, on Tuesday, I got a photo of this White-breasted Nuthatch looking in the hole. A search of the online source “Birds of the World” confirmed that White-breasted Nuthatches often use woodpecker holes, but they don’t excavate their own holes. So, I’m still thinking a woodpecker made the hole, but it will be interesting to see if the nuthatch uses it.
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earlorfphotos
on April 27, 2020Little did it know that, 2 days later, all the ice would be gone.
Linda Russell
on April 26, 2020Nice coyote shot, Earl! It seems confident the ice will last awhile longer! :-)