As we head into the last two weeks in February, our Valentine’s Day thaw in the Finger Lakes continues and our daytime temperatures are to remain above freezing until the weekend. The sun made a very brief appearance on the west side of the lake across from Deep Run Park, but soon some fast moving stratus clouds closed any remaining patches of blue sky in the east.
Later on in the morning, I stopped along the outlet of Canandaigua Lake in the town of Hopewell. It’s not a good place to stop but I was able to take a couple of pictures that reflect the watery images of the old trees that grow along the bank. They help to keep the bank from being eroded as the outlet turns north towards Chapin.
There is usually a group of mallard ducks which hang out along the sides of the outlet. There’s plenty of fresh water for them here as this section of the outlet seldom freezes. Mallard ducks are dabblers and they feed at or just below the surface of the water. They sleep on the ice along the banks and then if someone approaches, they quickly paddle out of sight.
It’s hard to know what they were thinking about this morning but I am going to guess that spring was on their minds and soon there would be some tender green shoots of grass for them along the banks.
James R. Bupp