Tag Archives: Living on Merganser Lake

Great blue heron at Merganser Lake (lots of shots)

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Photo by Chris Bosak A great blue heron stands on a dock at Lake Waubeeka in Danbury, Conn., during the summer of 2017.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A great blue heron stands on a dock at Lake Waubeeka in Danbury, Conn., during the summer of 2017.

It’s always nice when a bird is patient enough to let you experiment with different angles and magnifications. That was the case with this great blue heron I saw on Merganser Lake (really Lake Waubeeka) in Danbury, Conn., on Tuesday evening.

I know the photos are all very similar, but what magnification do you like?

Photo by Chris Bosak
A great blue heron stands on a dock at Lake Waubeeka in Danbury, Conn., during the summer of 2017.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A great blue heron stands on a dock at Lake Waubeeka in Danbury, Conn., during the summer of 2017.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A great blue heron stands on a dock at Lake Waubeeka in Danbury, Conn., during the summer of 2017.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A great blue heron stands on a dock at Lake Waubeeka in Danbury, Conn., during the summer of 2017.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A great blue heron stands on a dock at Lake Waubeeka in Danbury, Conn., during the summer of 2017.

Photo by Chris Bosak A great blue heron stands on a dock at Lake Waubeeka in Danbury, Conn., during the summer of 2017.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A great blue heron stands on a dock at Lake Waubeeka in Danbury, Conn., during the summer of 2017.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A great blue heron stands on a dock at Lake Waubeeka in Danbury, Conn., during the summer of 2017.

Another shot of the ‘pileated’ woodpecker

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Photo by Chris Bosak A pileated woodpecker looks for insects at the base of a tree at Merganser Lake in Danbury, Conn., April 2017.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A pileated woodpecker looks for insects at the base of a tree at Merganser Lake in Danbury, Conn., April 2017.

Here’s another photo of the pileated woodpecker I saw the other day.

Hearing the name of this remarkable bird begs the question: What does pileated mean? According to dictionary.com, it simply means “crested,” an apt name for this woodpecker. There’s also this, more descriptive, definition from thefreedictionary.com: “Etymologically means “capped,” like a mushroom, but now refers to a bird with a crest on the top of the head from the bill to the nape.”

So there you have it …

 

Bald Eagle visits pond

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Photo by Chris Bosak A Bald Eaglea fies over Little Merganser Lake in Danbury, Conn., Sept. 2016.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A Bald Eagle flies over Little Merganser Lake in Danbury, Conn., Sept. 2016.

I live on Merganser Lake (real name Lake Waubeeka). A short walk away, down a trail that starts at my backyard, is Little Merganser Lake (really the Beaver Pond.) I like Little Merganser Lake because it is completely undeveloped and isolated. A wide variety of wildlife, mostly birds, can be seen at the lake and pond, but the pond is more productive because of its relative remoteness.

I’ve seen some pretty good ducks and herons down there, but today I saw a Bald Eagle there for the first time. I heard it calling and then it soared overhead. It was impossible to miss. Bald Eagles are becoming more and more popular and nest on nearby lakes such as Candlewood and Lillinonah. So to see one here is not overly surprising, but as I said, it was first time seeing one, so of course I have to post about it.

The photos, admittedly, are not the best because of the gray, drizzly conditions, but you get the picture …

Photo by Chris Bosak A Bald Eagle flies over Little Merganser Lake in Danbury, Conn., Sept. 2016.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A Bald Eagle flies over Little Merganser Lake in Danbury, Conn., Sept. 2016.

A few random photos from Merganser Lake

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Photo by Chris Bosak A chipmunk stands atop a pile of wood at Merganser Lake in Danbury, Conn.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A chipmunk stands atop a pile of wood at Merganser Lake in Danbury, Conn.

As much as I like to talk and write about my birding experiences, some photos I take simply get posted to this blog without much fanfare and verbiage. Such is the case with these photos. Not that they aren’t worthy of detailed descriptions, but I figured I’d just get these posted before too much time lapsed and they never saw the light of day. All photos taken at my home on Merganser Lake in Connecticut in April 2016. (Yes, I know chipmunks aren’t birds, but I had to get that photo in.)

Photo by Chris Bosak A Carolina Wren perches on a bird feeder at Merganser Lake in Danbury, Conn., April 2016.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A Carolina Wren perches on a bird feeder at Merganser Lake in Danbury, Conn., April 2016.

Photo by Chris Bosak A Hairy Woodpecker looks for insects on a tree in Danbury, Conn., April 2016.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A Hairy Woodpecker looks for insects on a tree in Danbury, Conn., April 2016.

A frosty morning at the feeding station

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Photo by Chris Bosak An American Goldfinch eats Nyjer seeds from a frozen feeder during a frosty April 2016 morning in Danbury, Conn.

Photo by Chris Bosak
An American Goldfinch eats Nyjer seeds from a frozen feeder during a frosty April 2016 morning in Danbury, Conn.

For the second day in a row the unpredictable New England weather provided an opportunity to get an interesting photo at the bird feeding station. Monday it was snow. Tuesday it was ice. Here, an American Goldfinch visits the Nyjer feeder, undaunted by the ice and freezing temperatures. Notice that this male is transitioning into its breeding plumage. Below are a few more icy photos from Merganser Lake.

Photo by Chris Bosak Ice covers a daffodil bloom in Fairfield County on a chilly Tuesday morning.

Photo by Chris Bosak
Ice covers a daffodil bloom in Fairfield County on a chilly Tuesday morning.

Photo by Chris Bosak Ice covers the branches of a tree in Danbury, Conn., April 2016.

Photo by Chris Bosak
Ice covers the branches of a tree in Danbury, Conn., April 2016.

Chickadee pair picks its spot

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Photo by Chris Bosak A Black-capped Chickadee cleans out a hole for a home to raise a family in Danbury, Conn., 2016.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A Black-capped Chickadee cleans out a hole for a home to raise a family in Danbury, Conn., 2016.

I tacked onto the bottom of my last For the Birds column the need to keep some dead trees standing as these “snags” are vital for birds. They provide homes and food for birds and other wildlife.

The day after writing the column I took a walk to Little Merganser Lake. I didn’t notice it while walking to the lake, but on my way back I noticed two chickadees going back and forth to a skinny dead tree. I stopped and watched for quite a while.

The birds, of course, were clearing out a hole for the Continue reading →

Merganser Lake: More on those Pine Warblers

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Photo by Chris Bosak A Pine Warbler sits on a deck railing in New England this fall.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A Pine Warbler sits on a deck railing in New England this fall.

I posted some photos last week of Pine Warblers that visited my feeders. It was a nice sighting because warblers typically do not visit feeders. If you do get lucky enough to have warblers visit your feeding station, it’s usually Pine Warblers in the fall. I was fortunate enough to have three visit this fall. To complement those photos, here are some more … Continue reading →

Introducing Merganser Lake

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https://birdsofnewengland.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/merglake5.jpg

Photo by Chris Bosak
A foggy morning on Merganser Lake. A perfect day for a canoe ride.

I recently moved to a new place in Connecticut — about 40 minutes north of my former home. While I loved my former place with Long Island Sound and a nice park within walking distance, my new home is set in the woods with a lake right across the street and a smaller lake (big pond) a mere 10-minute walk through the woods. The trail to the smaller lake runs just beyond my backyard within 100s of acres of woods.

Much of my birdwatching, and thus many of my posts on this blog, will take place either at my feeders, in the woods around my house, or on the lake across the street. Those posts will be on the main page of http://www.BirdsofNewEngland.com, but also put on a special page entitled “Living on Merganser Lake,” a link to which may be found in the menu on top of any page on this site.

The lake is not actually called “Merganser Lake,” but for the purposes of this site I will refer to it as such. The smaller lake or pond behind my house will be referred to as Little Merganser Lake.

Why Merganser Lake? Hooded Mergansers are my favorite bird, so why not honor them by naming the lake after them (even if it is just a fictitious name). Common Mergansers and Red-breasted Mergansers are among my favorites, too.

Most of the postings under “Merganser Lake” will be about birdwatching, of course, but some posts will extend into other areas of lake living. I can’t wait to get “Living on Merganser Lake” in earnest.

For now, here are a few photos I took during a walk just this morning.

Photo by Chris Bosak The woods of Merganser Lake in early autumn.

Photo by Chris Bosak
The woods of Merganser Lake in early autumn.

Photo by Chris Bosak Little Merganser Lake in early autumn.

Photo by Chris Bosak
Little Merganser Lake in early autumn.

https://birdsofnewengland.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/merglake41.jpg

Photo by Chris Bosak
A good acorn crop at Merganser Lake.