With the rains temporarily over and the temperatures warm, I decided it was time to head back out in “Rubber Ducky”, my trusted kayak that I love to use for photographing wildlife. On Friday I took Rubber Ducky out for a spin at one of my favorite spots, but one that has been inaccessible since last summer due to our intense drought. The water level is not quite where I like it, but it is navigable (if you don’t mind slowly and carefully working the kayak over downed trees that are at or just below the water surface). I’m hoping we get some more rain soon … that would make this place rock!
One of the main focuses on this trip was to check out the beaver activity. There are at least 3 active beaver lodges in this area, and I made it to 2 of them. I saw no beavers, which was a bit frustrating. I was sure they would be active in the pre-dawn hours, but it was not to be. I did, however, hear at least 2 beavers at the large, main lodge. They were busy inside, crunching and chewing on bark from branches they had pulled inside the lodge. So at least I know they are safe, and will likely be outside the lodges soon! But I did find some fun wildlife while I kayaked. Here are a few images of some Pied-billed Grebes (Podilymbus podiceps) that were swimming the waters:
And my favorite, “Attack Mode”:
Actually, he was not attacking the other grebe. Rather, he was just bristling and ruffling his feathers!
