Wednesday, April 29, 2015

April 28 - Silver Lake (Big Cottonwood Canyon)


Just finished a hike a Willow Heights and finishing my drive up the canyon to Silver Lake. I was just here on Saturday but today is much different than that 35 degrees and stormy looking day. Clear sky and sun slowly setting behind the mountains.

Nice to see the mountains with a blue sky background.

On this walk I've traded the chirps of the Ground Squirrels for quacking of ducks. It's pretty loud. I find the culprit, a pair of mallards in a little watery area (from the snow melt). I thought it would be the male that's quacking but it's the female, I can see her bill moving.

After I get past, the female flies (still quacking) and the male follows behind -- Must be Spring!! They loop around the mostly frozen lake and land in the exact same spot where they were.

I see some catkins and pussy willows ahead.

And the views are great!


As I'm nearing a corner, I hear another Mallard. It's in the shade so it's hard to find them. I do find the male and he's "swimming" through the upper layers of slush on the frozen lake. It's a little funny, I can see his legs moving but he's really not swimming nor is he walking.

But he's sure trying to get away from that still quacking female. (I never did locate her.)

I find another, very quiet, Mallard pair a little further down the trail.

I'm walking down the only section of boardwalk that has no snow on it or alongside the trail and I spot a white blob. Kinda of a strange place for a little pile of snow. As I get closer, the blob of snow looks like it has ears - actually looks like a rabbit. I'm thinking why would anyone build a snow rabbit. And then when I focus my camera on it, I realize it is actually a rabbit!! A snowshoe hare in its winter colors - I've never one all white!!! So cute!

And he think he's still camouflaged because I get within 3 feet of him before he takes 2 hops under some low branches by a pine tree (still alongside of the trail). I peer in to see him.

He does have little brown spots on he's back as the Summer fur comes in.

I follow the trail through the shady cold side and then back into the sun. There's yet another Mallard pair! When another pair tries to land in their water hole, there's quite a skirmish and lots of quacking and the resident pair scares them off. The rejected pair flies around the lake a few times before finally landing on the other side.

What a wonderful evening!!







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