As it turns out, the bird that performed for the DamCam on Friday was not a Sandhill crane, as first noted. John Deming corrects the record– “it is a Great Blue Heron, similar in shape, but different in color.” The heron hopped up on the CarpGard...
Friday afternoon a Sand Hill Crane decided to explore the dam at Ocean Beach. It hopped up on the CarpGard, then on to the reinforced cement abutment to the dam.
Through the years, kids have captured–and released–turtles at Clark Lake. Sometimes, kids would mark the turtle with nail polish so they could see if they had captured a particular turtle before. The good news is that turtles are still loving Clark Lake....
It’s not unusual to see deer around Clark Lake. But on Friday, a sighting took a different turn. This fawn, separated from its mother, decided to take a swim and get a drink from the lake. After surveying curious bystanders, the fawn, shivering, bolted from...
Not sure of the reason but our lake has attracted a group of cormorants. They are very effective at catching and eating small fish, fish that are about 6 inches long–perch and the recently planted walleye from last fall. Very expensive food for these birds!...
Late April and May are prime times for the spring migration of birds in southern Michigan. When it is warm enough for tiny bugs to appear, one can see many birds not normally seen as they migrate further north for breeding. Warblers are small birds that search for...
The first male hummingbird, the first orioles, and the first house wren all arrived at our place on the same day this year, April 30th. This photo shows an immature male Baltimore oriole eating grape jelly. We have taken flexible copper tubing and shaped it into a...
Some unique waterfowl at Clark Lake these past weeks just after the thaw: We have Common Mergansers, Hooded Merganser, Lesser Scaup, Common Goldeneye and a Trumpeter Swan! The Buffleheads are doing their mating rituals. One minute they are all getting along diving for...
Is it possible that the Polar Vortex provides a benefit? Many of Michigan’s Ash trees, Clark Lake included, have fallen to the ash borer. One of Minnesota’s premier forestry experts thinks that the cold weather in his state may slow down the...
The harsh winter’s brutally low temperatures has caused areas of the lake to freeze over that in previous winters stayed open. Having some open space in which to operate, some ducks had become year around residents. So have they managed to survive Clark...
John Deming comments on John Calhoun’s Frigid Fish Story: “Hard to believe that John Calhoun was able to land that pike. Even more impressive is that he helped release 2,000+ 8 inch walleyes into the lake last fall and that they grew so fast in 3-4 months...
With the bleak colors of this winter, I watch for blue skies, sunsets and even found a little color in the birds I feed. While these are not rare birds they have their own little personalities and vibrant colors. The dove looks like he is really enjoying his food or I...
