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The Joy of Mountain Lakes



Arriving from California in late September, I have to look back a few
decades to remember weather as cold as we have had lately.  But their are
glorious compensations.  Ben Ringer of Hendersonville told me that you
should check out the local lakes especially Lake Osceola when the lakes are
freezing over, because the ducks and waterbirds concentrate in the open
areas.

Saturday afternoon (1/6) my wife, her mother, and I drove to the lake where
Wayne Forsythe reported the presence of Snow Geese (blue morph).  We drove
SE on Dana Road crossed over the interstate 26 and turned left and soon
found Lakeview Rd, a right fork.

The lake was teeming with ducks, and not just the welfare recipients either.
Standing on the ice edge 50 yards away where the snow geese pair, much more
interestingly "painted" than the thousands I have seen on visits the Salton
Sea NWR in California.

Soon our attention was totally captivated by a female Hooded Merganser with
her crest extended and fully displaying shades of brown, straw, and gray
with all the gradations of color in between.

My wife spotted the prize of the day.  Not 20 yards away a male Hooded
Merganser.  As we watched the merganser swam in a line parallel to shore
raising its hood so high that the outline of its head looked absolutely
round and then "closing" his hood quickly making the white area a thick
white stripe.  We could see the black triangular spikes on the its upper
back and decided that this particular hooded would win first prize in any
car show for detailing and creative paint job, hands down!

Mountain lakes in Western NC hold many rewarding moments for those who take
the time and trouble to check them out.

John Lindfors
mailto: JLindfors@msn.com
Hendersonville, North Carolina