The Migration of Mergansers
In the spring and fall we experience the migrations of various species of geese and ducks. Here on Culhane Lake it’s mostly ducks. It’s not uncommon to see several species at one time during a walk around the lake or just from the shore of our property.
Today it’s mergansers, a real raft of mergansers everywhere we look. They must know that the duck hunters are gone now that we got a dusting of snow.
Mergansers are fast! In fact, the fastest duck ever recorded was a red-breasted merganser going 100 mph while being pursued by an airplane! To get airborne, they need a running start. Their legs are positioned near the rear which makes it harder for them to walk on land, but gives them a big advantage when diving for fish.
Nearby Whitefish Point documents waterbird movements in the upper Great Lakes during spring and fall migrations. This includes red-necked grebes, loons, red-breasted mergansers, eagles, peregrine falcons, owl, and many others. According to Wikipedia, thousands of birds use Whitefish Point as a stopover before venturing across Lake Superior during migrations.
