By Susanne Harrison, Occasional Contributor
Most trees are bare of leaves and fall looks like it is here to stay, at least for a while. As the temperature has cooled, the surface of Fawn Lake has cleared somewhat, and the water birds have returned, probably as a temporary stop on their trip south.
During a quick stroll around the pond in the late afternoon, we saw a pair of swans with their maturing cygnet, dipping their heads deep into the water to forage among the bottom weeds. A flock of Canada geese was nearby, also bobbing to eat the submerged vegetation. Each time their heads dipped down, their bodies tilted upward, flashing their bright white undersides. From a distance, they looked like a cluster of white cones floating on the water. A pair of mallard ducks circled nearby.
Other than the birds, there was not much evident wildlife beyond the usual wintering birds and squirrels, which were busy collecting and storing acorns. There was a thin skim of ice on parts of the pond. I tossed a pebble onto a patch to be sure it was really ice since the air temperature was in the mid-forties. The pebble broke through the ice and bubbles formed underneath and around the hole. Winter may be here sooner than we would like.
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