A male Bufflehead dived at just the right moment to catch this feathered symmetry!
BIRDING AT SILVER LAKE
Birding at Silver Lake has been a pastime for many decades, and more than 180 species have been reported on eBird.com. Staff at Silver Lake Mill have photographed more than 70 over the last 20 years. Because the spring serving Silver Lake has a strong flow, the Lake rarely freezes during winter, and it provides rest and over-wintering for many varieties. One of the most exciting bird events was about 15 years ago, when 33 migrating Tundra Swans came down during bad weather. They were here for about a week before the sun was bright enough for taking off. A spectacular sight!
Black-Crowned Night Herons
Black-Crowned Night Herons are frequently seen in the area below the dam and in the trees above. In the late summer, adults are on hand to teach their juveniles how to fish. The juvenile shown above caught — and SWALLOWED — the very large fish you see here! The photographer followed it and found it fishing again within two hours.
Great Egret
Pied Billed Grebe
Song Sparrow
Screech Owl on the millwheel!
Baltimore Oriole in the Cottonwood Tree near the dam
The Peregrine Falcon above was photographed in the “Osprey tree” at Silver Lake on October 22, 2017, about six months after she hatched. Green and orange bands were visible, and it was those bands that made it possible to identify the specific Peregrine Falcon. She was called “Orange” because of her band; her siblings had bands of other colors.
Juvenile Bluebirds seem thrilled to explore their old home!
An Osprey (above) successfully steers its way back to the “Osprey branch” in the Cottonwood Tree to enjoy feasting on its prey. Ospreys are frequent migrants at Silver Lake most of the year, occasionally staying as long as several weeks. There have been as many as five Ospreys in the area at the same time.
Horned Grebes (top row) and Long-Tailed Ducks (formerly known as Old Squaw Ducks) pause at Silver Lake for a rest during migration. Some sources report it is unusual for the Horned Grebes to travel with another species.
White-Winged Scoters are unusual at Silver Lake. Two photographs were combined to create this image.
Greater Yellowlegs
Solitary Sandpiper
Individual Spotted Sandpipers reliably migrate by Silver Lake twice each year. The tail that bobs up and down always sparks a smile.
Male (front) and female Hooded Mergansers
An unusual trio of Ross' Geese
A Common Goldeneye is not very common
at Silver Lake!
Green Herons are abundant near Silver Lake, thanks to nearby nesting areas.
Standing on the concrete dam, two Mute Swans, a Tundra Swan, and a Canada Goose seem to be holding a conference!
Bald Eagles have become increasingly common at Silver Lake, as they have in other parts of Virginia. Occasionally pairs are seen here.
Sections of Silver Lake do freeze at some time during the winter season.
Ducks can be extremely humorous when landing on the frozen lake and when they try to walk on it!
