Wandering Aimlessly
Wandering Aimlessly
March Idles On
by Phil Burkhouse
On Tuesday, February 27th, Mary and I sat in the Subaru observing one of my favorite backwater spots for migratory waterfowl. We had just left the dam and were actually about a mile into Potter County at a swamp just to the left of 872. This small backwater pool is filled with stumps, logs, and vegetation and usually attracts a pair of hooded mergansers each spring.
Hoodies are rather uncommon in our area; about the only time we get to see them is during the spring migration. They are often seen on big waters such as the dam in the Fork, but they also like small, secluded potholes. The last several years a pair of hooded mergansers has hung out on this little pool of water, and due to its proximity to the road, I pull over onto the wide berm and patiently wait for the fidgety hoodies to calm down and accept the presence of the Subaru. Sometimes I have to sit quietly for a half hour before the ducks relax and swim around in the swamp, but the pictures I get are well worth the wait. They usually hang out in this pool for several weeks and then disappear until next year. Mary and I had checked out this little hot spot several times over the past two weeks, but no ducks had been present.