by Twan Leenders
February and March are the times when the waters of Chautauqua Lake are alive with birds. Waterfowl primarily. No fewer than 28 species of ducks, geese, and swans are routinely seen on the open water sections of the lake during these months, sometimes numbering into the tens of thousands. The current winter has been far from typical, and this year's waterfowl numbers have been low, but that situation can change literally overnight when a cold snap freezes the lakes around us and pushes flocks of ducks, geese, and swans our way.
As a rule, these waterfowl tend to stay only for as long as they need to, foraging on aquatic vegetation, shellfish, and fish as they prepare for their breeding season. Almost all species seen here in winter do not breed locally. Instead, they migrate north to the Canadian tundra or into the prairie pothole regions of the Midwest to nest and raise their young. Nonetheless, having a productive lake that provides them with adequate food resources and safe migratory stop-over habitat is critical to the breeding success of all these species.
By mid-April, most wintering waterfowl will have left the area, leaving only the Canada geese, mallards, hooded mergansers, and common mergansers - species that stick around year-round and breed locally. One additional species, the wood duck, winters south of us but breeds here. These spectacular little ducks start to return to our waters and wooded marshes around the same time that the winter visitors head north. Chautauqua Lake is an ever-changing whirlwind of waterfowl, and it is worth taking your binoculars out every day to see who's in town. The lake's status as Important Bird Area (IBA) is largely due to its importance for wintering waterfowl. As much as we all enjoy our summers on the lake, the bird life on the lake is only a fraction of what we see this time of year.
Oh, and while you're on your way to the lake to enjoy the ducks and geese, don't forget to keep your ears perked as the first spring bird songs are beginning to fill the air. Cardinals, Tufted Titmice, and Chickadees are singing on sunny days already, and the Red-winged Blackbirds are returning to Chautauqua County. Spring is just around the corner!
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