7/27/25: The Hunt for the Red-breasted Merganser, part 3

The final opportunity to document breeding Red-breasted Mergansers arrives, but events take an unexpected turn with the shifting of the wind.
The final opportunity to document breeding Red-breasted Mergansers arrives, but events take an unexpected turn with the shifting of the wind.
The search for mergansers continues and leads to lake isles crowded with colony nesting birds on Maine's largest lake while subsequent efforts are dashed by fickle conditions.
A noteworthy observation on Moosehead Lake sparks a determined effort to document one of Maine's rarest breeding waterfowl.
This piece is a reflection on the ecological stirrings of early spring, centered on the thaw and renewal of a small brook. As the snowmelt surges through the brook, it awakens a vibrant world of birds, amphibians, and aquatic life, offering a fleeting season of beauty before the forest fully leafs out.