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Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Nature Notes: Speculating


I titled this week's nature notes "Speculating" in part because I couldn't think of a title.
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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.
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The sandy area which juts out in the shot above is covered in gulls during the winter but they all leave by spring.
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Since there is so much information on the internet, even local information, I tried googling to see what I could find.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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In case you're wondering about these photographs, they are recent ones at the lake of what is there.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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By summer I can start looking for the great blue herons again and they won't be so shy.
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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.
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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.

9 comments:

EG CameraGirl said...

Thanks for the tour, Carver. I would love to see the water birds to capture photos now but you are correct that they are now in solitude!

MaR said...

I simply love the picture in the middle of your post with the two gulls and their reflection on the water, beautiful shots as always.

Mar

Anonymous said...

oh dear...Here is the same...we have some kind of birds taht fly from Africa to Europe...during our winter season...now..they are coming back...
great shots and texts

Have a nice day

graceolsson.com/blog

Cezar and Léia said...

Dear Carver,
thanks so much for this beautiful post, I imagine myself walking near this "spetacular Shelley Lake" and it's a wonderful sensation!
And those geese are adorable!
hugs
Léia

eileeninmd said...

Shelley Lake looks like a great place for walking and biridng! Carver, I enjoyed the post and the photos.

Suzi Smith said...

what a lovely place to wander around... thank you. The birds on the posts are particularly lovely!

Squirrel said...

You have some wonderfully captured shots here Carver. Glad you are enjoying the nature in your area.

Anonymous said...

The waterfowl is very lucky to have such a protected place to breed. Beautiful...We finally got a really warm day today and I was out all day long..sigh..happy....Michelle

AscenderRisesAbove said...

Such a great collection of photos; got a chuckle out of the birds on poles. Are they very loud with they "caw"?