Love is in the air
Love is in the air but the water level at Lake Hodges is still pretty low. We’ve only had one decent rain this winter. There is more rain in the forecast but until the water level rises significantly I’ve been heading elsewhere for Grebe footage. There has been lots of activity at Lake Wohlford and it’s been spectacular. Not only great grebe footage but a host of other great birds.
If the Lake level does come up over the next few months, we’ll likely have Grebe nesting like last year, but I’m not holding my breath. I’ve been exploring other lakes and Lake Wohlford is proving to be a great lake for courtship behavior, but I doubt there will be any nesting, far too many fishermen around the potential nesting sites. I’ll continue monitoring. Unlike Hodges, I am unable to launch my own boat. I’ve been using the available rental boats and for Grebe courtship this works well. There are another couple of potential Lakes I’m monitoring.
I’ve spent most of the last three weeks with clients at Wohlford and it has not been disappointing 🙂
We’ve been catching every aspect of the courtship routines and enjoying every minute.
Both Clark’s and Western grebes have been pairing up and teasing us with the ‘weed dance’ This is usually the precursor to actual nest building.
And while waiting for the Grebes to do their thing, there are plenty of other locals to photograph like this White Pelican in its array of breeding plumage.
And this seldom seen Violet-green swallow . Seeing and photographing this one was a treat.
And one of the more usual suspects, a Tree Swallow
Another benefit of heading up to Lake Wohlford is that there are a nesting pair of Bald Eagles. You are likely to see at least one of them at some point during the day.
Or maybe one of the immature birds from previous years?
And if you don’t actually see an eagle, simply look across the street for their nest. The nest is in a great location, close enough to monitor and photograph, but far enough away that we won’t disturb them. They are approximately 3 weeks into their 35 day incubation. The last few years have been unsuccessful, so fingers crossed we see some chicks this year.
And a reminder of my New Website for purchasing my ART.
One of my favorite aspects of the site is the way in which a potential print can be hung on a mockup of the room in which it’s intended. The room can be changed, the wall color can be changed, and even a photo loaded of the ACTUAL room. Shop with confidence that the print will indeed compliment the room and décor. https://www.lakehodgesphototours.art/shop-art
Please contact me directly by email if interested in heading out on the Lake or walking the area for any photography or videography. The Lake has only a limited number of days each week / season open for boating. Walking and hiking is accessible any day, 365 days a year. Feel free to share on your preferred Social Media, and subscribe at the foot of this page.
Until next month
