This is usually the first lake to lose its ice in spring, which is a huge advantage for Duck Fans. Waterfowl come in all colors and shapes. They do mating dances and posturing to see who’s getting the female with the best attributes — whatever those look like to a male duck.
For years, I’ve wondered how the male mergansers keep their eveningwear so white. Perhaps they’re looking for the female with the laundry detergent that’s best at getting dinginess out of their tuxedos. For the ducks somehow maintain brilliant white feathers while swimming on the tannin-colored water beneath them.