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Keys in my hands, we walked into the trailer on my birthday in 1992. It could never be a permanent home for the single-wide had, for starters, no room for my two pianos and my double-bass. Still it felt like a bit of Paradise. While Warren held many obligations which couldn't be neglected, this was to be devoted to whatever time we could carve out for fun and rest.
In spite of the vagaries of winter weather (particularly in Cassadaga), we returned as often as possible. I still recall stopping at the County Market just north of Warren after weekly Warren Civic Orchestra practice to pick up a deli pizza to bring "home" for a late supper. Late? Definitely but no pressure for an early rising in the morn.
Almost immediately, however, a problem arose: what to call our destination. Telling kids we were going to "our property just east of Cassadaga" took almost as much time as the commute. (I do exaggerate a bit.)
At that time of year our lake was fulled with geese. Got it - but did we really want to acknowledge we'd gone off again to Goose? Second choice then: Duck. All caps and, at my insistence, an exclamation mark at the end: DUCK! So it has remained. And the geese continue to come -- CANADA Geese to correct a very intelligent man who should know better.
The ducks continued to come as well. Mallards were certainly the first I saw. Frequently it's said they lose their distinctive color as winter comes.
I had taken an excellent picture of a Wood Duck in Warren that Dr. Benton liked enough to print in one of his columns so those were no strangers to me. Funny, annually I include Wood Ducks in my November counts for FeederWatch. Invariably Cornell questions my identification and asks for photos. No problem getting and sending pictures. They breed here in the spring but, as long as there's water, they will stay.
I jumped excitedly from my bed that first morning, hurrying to the window in the door. (I don't recall there being windows in the bedroom-- or else they were so heavily draped nothing could be viewed from that room.) Binoculars in hand and with a bunch of new bird books, I felt prepared for any water critters to come.
Geese galore but where were the ducks? The lack of their appearance came as a surprise. Here one minute, gone the next. Had we erred in our nomenclature?
Nope, they were still around. The Hooded Mergansers came most often. That pleased me for I found the male strikingly handsome, his little lady (or ladies) never far away.
In time I learned to recognize her distinctive crest which stood out compared to her lady-cousin mergansers.
Over the years, all three would show up though not necessarily stay for longer than a visiting stopover. I could feel it in my bones as well: the temperatures were dropping. It wouldn't be too long until their swimming (all right, eating) hole grew too solid to be hospitable.
The Red-breasted and Common Mergansers visited over the years - but hardly regularly or showing much interest in extending their stay. Which was which? The question sent me scurrying to my Golden Book on Birds. Easy enough - the Red-breasted male is told by a reddish-brown patch on his chest. Like their Hooded cousins, the gals have a more reddish head. All have a quite noticeable crest - should they be in the mood to raise it.
Also came the "Sea Ducks," the other divers: the Common Goldeneye and Bufflehead. The latter male wears a noticeable white "scarf" across his head, the female having a white streak immediately behind her eye. She's here right now - diving regularly. But alone. The Goldeneye has a white spot just behind his beak.
The Black Duck definitely appears though I confess I tend to carelessly identify it as a female mallard. Same markings, just darker. Sibley says this often "hybridizes with the Mallard with the hybrids showing indeterminate characteristics." As if identification isn't already difficult! The Redhead posed nicely enough to give me wonderful pictures and a column.
For many years the Lesser Scaups were my "mystery ducks." Cornell named the pair for me. The female has a distinct white ring around her beak that is her easiest point of identification.
One year a pair of Green-Winged teal came as well. I had easily recognized the male, I wrote way back then, by the vertical white bar on the side and its green eye stripe. And one can hardly miss the tail on a Northern Pintail.
I feel blessed to have also seen a pair of Common Loons, a Tundra (Whisling) Swan and, yes, those Cormorants.
Fall brings so many birds I see no other time.
The challenges excite me even though I know the temperatures are dropping. Already there are mornings when the water has a skim of ice, opening later to host more ducks.
Eventually the complete freeze occurs and even the ripples are stopped in their tracks.
Susan Crossett has lived in Arkwright for more than 20 years. A lifetime of writing led to these columns as well as two novels. Information on all the Musings, her books and the author may be found at Susancrossett.com.