My wife Jeanette keeps telling me that she has seen only a few ducks this summer around Canandaigua Lake. It was a drizzly day in Canandaigua on Sunday and as I walked along Kershaw Park, I saw quite a few ducks. They were having a good time feeding in the shallow water along the northern shore and preening their feathers. The lake seems very low even for this time of the year as we have not had our usual rainfall this summer which made today’s slow drizzle welcomed by man and the birds.
It is customary to lower the lake about a foot after Labor Day in order to protect the many properties which ring the lake, but to my eye, it looked like the lake is about two feet lower than normal. The rocks which line the outlet along City Pier seemed to rise out of the water much higher than normal. The fishermen have returned to the lake but for the most part, the pleasure boaters’ season is done. Gone are the hot temperatures that make a speed boat ride across the lake such fun. Most of the boats will be pulled from the lake in another couple of weeks and shrink wrapped for the winter or stored indoors.
But if you happen to be a duck, today was just perfect for hanging around and finding that last blade of green grass in the shallow water, or just fluffing up and oiling your feathers. There are a few Canadian geese beginning to hang around the lake. Soon there will be thousands of Canadian geese using the lake as a stop over on their way south to warmer temperatures. But for now, there is no hurry as the cold west winds have not started to blow.
Most humans were content to stay inside today and watch the football games or read a book. Perhaps Mother Nature will send us a few dry days in October with the temperatures back into the 70’s before the temperatures plunge into the 30’s. But we have no complaints as the summer of 2012 was a beauty!