Nature Notes: Speculating

I titled this week's nature notes "Speculating" in part because I couldn't think of a title.

I do speculate, particular during the beginning and end of each season about why the gulls arrive at Shelley Lake in the fall and leave at the end of winter.

The sandy area which juts out in the shot above is covered in gulls during the winter but they all leave by spring.

Since there is so much information on the internet, even local information, I tried googling to see what I could find.

I couldn't find anything and the funny part is when I googled with Shelley Lake, Raleigh, NC and gulls, I ended up finding photos people posted of the gulls in the snow at the lake.

I realize that some gulls spend the winter at places a lot colder than here, that get a lot more snow than we do, so it's not that I expect they would migrate away from here during the winter.

What doesn't make sense to me is that it's actually warmer, for the most part, on the North Carolina coast during the winter than it is in Raleigh and I know there are year round gulls there. So I don't get why some choose this lake for the winter and leave during the breeding season.

In case you're wondering about these photographs, they are recent ones at the lake of what is there.

Actually, I'd need a sound track to get a better idea of what's there. The geese, ducks, and other water birds seem to have thinned out to only a few which isn't accurate.

What they have actually done is found protected spots to breed and raise their families and if I try to investigate I hear quite a loud ruckus and retreat to leave them in privacy.

This time of year I rarely see any of the great blue heron but I hear them screeching like crazy, if I get to close to their hide a way spots.

By summer I can start looking for the great blue herons again and they won't be so shy.

During nesting season there are so many less water birds to see on the lake but it's fun to spot a few in protected areas and hear even more where it's hard to get to.

Thursday is the official posting date for Nature Notes, although I tend to post earlier in the week. You can visit the host, Rambling Woods, to find other participants.