Jameson Lake lies six miles north of US Highway 2, right in the middle of Moses Coulee. The south end of the lake is a little gem in the middle of a desert, and one of our favorite places to observe wildlife, especially birds.
When we arrived this week, it must have been Family Day at Jameson Lake, because everyone was out on the water with their kids! That included ducks, grebes, geese, coots, and songbirds, to name a few.
As we approached the lake, just north of Dutch Henry Draw, the road went through a field of sagebrush. It was teaming with Western Meadowlark families! I have never seen so many Meadowlarks in one location at one time. I tried to get a photo, but they moved so quickly it was impossible. But we could tell there were adults and juveniles both flying around. There must have been at least 30 in all. As we watched them, we glanced up to the top of the basalt wall and saw two Prairie Falcons sitting like sentinels way on the top of the ridge. They were so high up, they were just tiny blips on the horizon!
When we were there the second week in June, we could see two Pie-billed Grebes carrying material and building a nest on the southern shore of a small island. They were both very diligent, building it just inside some grasses along the edge.
When we returned a week and a half later, there was an adult sitting on the nest.
This week, there were two adults and three chicks swimming in the waters just off the island.
We were amazed at how many Pie-billed juveniles we saw. In the 1.3 miles of shoreline we could access, we counted 19 adults and 23 juveniles.
The Ruddy Ducks are always fun to watch in the spring as they squabble over territory and the males compete for attention. Now the families are here and are out foraging. Typically, the females stay with the young, and the males sit a little apart, like sentries, guarding the gate.
Earlier in the spring, the Canada geese families stayed more or less separate from each other. But now that the “kids“ are bigger, they are often congregating together in the water.
We saw two or three families of Redheads with their young. Sometimes, they were tucked beneath the reeds along the shore, and sometimes out in open water.
Of course, the American Coots are ever present at Jameson Lake, and their numbers quite large. It’s interesting, because the Coot families must lay their eggs at different times. We saw several families of Coots, some families with very young offspring. Some families with almost adult chicks. And other families with different ages in between the two.
There was also quite a variety of families who come to the lake, but don’t swim in the water. Among them were Eastern Kingbirds.
There were also a large number of Vesper sparrows, as well as Cliff, Barn, and Tree swallows.
We saw juvenile Red-winged Blackbirds and juvenile Yellow-headed blackbirds, and what seemed like a million Brewer’s Blackbirds.
Of course the Prairie Falcons and the Common Ravens have long since fledged, and were not to be seen. The two adults we saw on the ridge top as we drove in could have been the Prairie Falcons. However, there were two Osprey fishing in the lake.
And the Great Blue Herons! We saw four! Usually, we are lucky to see one. They all looked like adults to us, but who knows?
In addition to the birds, we also saw a Muskrat and six Mule deer and a smattering of Painted turtles. It was a great day at the lake!
Here is a list of the species we saw or heard.
Canada goose
Redhead
Ruddy Duck
Pied-billed Grebe
American Coot
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Prairie Falcon
Red-tailed Hawk
Say’s Phoebe
Eastern Kingbird
Common Raven
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Tree Swallow
Rock Wren
Canyon Wren
Song Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Brewer’s Blackbird