Common Mergansers at Singleton Lake

I suppose it is a sign of a very healthy ecosystem. The common mergansers have been on the lake for almost a week eating minnows. They actively and cooperatively corral their prey before simultaneously plunging under the surface to chase them down. They are very successful. When I put my canoe in the water or round a corner the sound of hundreds of these heavy birds making their surface running take-off is like the applause at a Jimmy Buffett or Great Big Sea concert... even though I am anticipating the sound, it always causes me to wonder just what is making that noise. That is a steel great blue heron in the foreground. It rarely moves except in a really big wind. There is still a real great blue heron on the lake. There are even blue birds still at the lake. They normally migrate in August with the insects.