Yesterday I took the Lady Express boat from Chelan, WA to Stehekin at the north end of the lake, about a 50 mile ride. I had not seen Lake Chelan other than driving by in the past, and was awed by its sheep size, depth and beauty.
I had been noticing that the lake has relatively few birds other than ducks, and learned that because the lake is coldand clean that it has a relative paucity of microscopic organisms at the bottom of the food chain, so supports less fish than most lakes. This in turn leads to less fish eating creatures like eagles, kingfishers, etc. Still, even for an inveterate birder, a nice ride and a nice day.
We did manage a few birds. There was a nice flock of Redhead at the north end.
Redhead Aythya americana are one of our more stunning diving ducks.
Good birding. Good day!
