Wildlife Fight

Land Girl and I were camping for four nights starting 30 July at our favorite campground. The thing about camping near a lake is you really never know what wildlife, or other occurrences one comes across. That trip produced an interesting wildlife fight, and some humorous human instances. 

View of lake from shore by our campsite

We were fortunate to get a first-come first-serve site along the lake shore, but that is why we try to arrive before 1 pm. Check out time is at noon, although that is often disregarded by some campers. The site did not provide access to the water, but the boat landing was not far away. We kept our kayak down by the boat landing. The lake we were on is 106 acres, and does not allow gas engines. Trolling motors are allowed. Another nearby lake, on which the swim beach is located is 52 acres. Both are nice kayaking lakes. Fishing maybe another story, at least on the larger lake. Enhancements (40 ash trees were brought in and dropped into the lake) were done two years ago to improve the fishing on the lake, but anglers I talk to say they see no difference. 

Eagle in flight

But, the fishing must not be too bad as loons frequent the lake. We counted up to five loons a few times, grouped together. Land Girl is particularly astute at pointing out wildlife on the lake. An eagle has also been known to frequent the lake. I saw the eagle land in a tree on an island not far from the boat landing on the day of our arrival. That would not be the only time we saw the eagle. The eagle likes the tall pine trees that tower over the others along the lake shore.  

Five loons on the lake

For the first time in this location we saw a great blue heron. I was out in the kayak one evening, about 7:45 pm and heard a wildlife sound I have never heard before, but clearly it was a sound of distress. I was at the far southeasterly end of the lake, and looking against the sun was difficult. Added to that sound was the sound of a number of loons as if warning others to some danger. I paddled more along the west shore and as I looked east I could see an eagle flying around a water fowl hunkered low in the would peck at the eagle as it approached. I thought it was a loon fighting off an eagle. But, as I got more north and west of the altercation the eagle flew away to the east, and the fowl takes off and heads right for me in the kayak. I thought it was coming for me and at its closest was perhaps only 12 to 18 feet distance. It looked like a heron a blue grey color. People on shore watching, and thought it was a crane, but I said the color looked more like a great blue heron. When I got back to shore, Land Girl, who had been watching the whole time, said the fight started by the island near the boat landing and it was a heron. I never thought a heron could take off from water so fast as what I saw. Much quicker than I have seen loons. Another couple, which we have seen camping here the past few years, saw two great blue herons at a small bog lake south of the lake we were on. As I was kayaking back, I saw many campers crowded along the shore, so distressing was the call the heron was making while fending off the bald eagle attack. Eagles do not win all battles. I wish I had my camera with me to get some photos of the fight.

Perhaps the geese were smarter than the heron, hanging close to shore and going in and out of the trees lying along the shore. But, the loons, by their noises, seem to sympathize with the heron, or at least were warning other loons about an eagle on the attack.

Geese

The wildlife must find fish to eat, which makes me wonder why people with all their gear cannot seem to catch any fish. Although there were days when many fishermen were out all day, making me wonder if they had caught worthwhile fish. A group of three boys, staying with the grandparents provided some comic relief to the wife. One was on shore and the other two in a small fishing boat. The older boy in the boat yelled to the young one on shore to go "Tell grandpa it will take longer than ten minutes to get back as we are further from the campsite than we thought." However, they started to row away from the campsite. It turns out they thought it best to put their life jackets back on before heading back to meet grandpa at shore by their campsite. There campsite has a nice sandy area in which to put in a boat.

Camping next to us was one family and the brother of the dad and his family were a few sites away. The two men must struggle with the y chromosome since the five or six children between them (and one friend) were all girls. While at the beach on Wednesday, not long before a heavy shower moved in, a few of the girls came to the beach and the youngest got stung by some insect while at the lake shore, through her long sleeved swim wear. The girls took her to the toilet so asses the bite. The parents and other children arrived and the mom's assessed the situation. Then one mother, being a total mother, noted that  "Autumn was the second child to get bitten" by something, and that another child had rolled her ankle. She then commented that the lesson learned is they should not stray so far from one of the adults. As if an adult present at the beach would have prevented the insect bite. Anyway, later Wednesday I don't think they minded that mother's advice.

Loons

The result is if the wildlife do not present something of interest, some of the campers are sure to to do so. The nice thing about having a lake site is sitting on the shore in the morning with sun shining and watching the wildlife, like the loons, float about the lake. It puts one in part of nature's glory. At times you see the darker reality of the wild, as occurred with the fight between a bald eagle and a great blue heron. Each working to survive, which led to the wildlife fight.