Little Cranberry Lake, Big Beaver Pond, Wildlife
I set out early on an all-day hike in the ACFL North looking for wildlife. I covered close to six miles of trail and did not see much. I heard woodpeckers, owls, and other birds. The beavers have been active on several trees around Big Beaver Pond. Overall Little Cranberry Lake was incredibly quiet. There was not much going on there in the way of wildlife.
I continued to big Beaver Pond to see what was there in the way of wildlife. It was highly active with large verity of birds on the waters. There were Mallards, Hooded Mangerses, Bufflehead, Trumpeter Swans, and a Belted Kingfisher. Many out of range for to capture from my location on the northeast side. I headed to the observation area mid pond on the east side, hoping to get a better viewing area closer. From the observation deck you do get a better view because it extends out into the pond. I was able to get some great shots of the resident Trumpeter Swan preening.
Trumpeter Swan, Female
This Swan was close to the observation area and was preening. She had been there for some time. I was able to get some captures of a full wing stretch of this beautiful swan.
More Images of this Trumpeter Swan
Information about the Trumpeter Swans
Mallards, Male and Female
There was a lot of Mallards on the pond swimming here swimming there. The Buffleheads were nervous for some reason and kept flying from the south end to the north end then back again. The Mallard stayed in the area close to where I was on the observation deck.
Dougla’s Squirrel
There were a lot of active squirrels every place I hiked making all sorts of noise. Some warning of hikers in the area chassing other squirrels away. I found some to be very friendly and looked for handouts. Obviously, someone has been feeding them.
Feeding wildlife can lead to several serious problems: Human food is not healthy for wild animals, and they do not need food from humans to survive. Wild animals have specialized diets, and they can become malnourished or die if fed the wrong food. They have all that is needed to survive in the ACFL if you let them collect it naturally without intervention. Feeding wildlife is giving them a potential death sentence.
Please do not feed the wildlife. Let them remain wild and do what wildlife knows to do to survive.
Note: Yes, that is a tick on the ear of the squirrel. About every squirrel I had seen had a tick on their head somewhere. Make sure to check for ticks after hiking. Could be bad this year!
Little Cranberry Lake, Big Beaver Pond, Anacortes
02.15.2023
All images are © Chris LeBoutillier
You may obtain images here iNaturlist Chris LeBoutillier and use them as required by the Creative Commons License
