During this transitional season, I take note of many birds making their annual migrations, north to south, interior to exterior. Waterfowl are good to keep an eye on, as they are visible in most open bodies of water. It is hard to imagine , but some birds actually deliberately winter in Jackson Hole, 43 degrees north being a more southern latitude than where they spend their summers up near the Arctic Circle. Familiar is the arrival of those large downy ones to the open ponds and waterways of Jackson. With their plaintive honks, trumpeter swans on the wing are a sight to behold. This time of year, many of the wild swan populations are arriving, touching down into ponds where our resident populations also spend time, all searching for open waters where they will over winter.

 

Barrow’s goldeneye ducks in their black and white tuxedoed plumage and distinct crescent shaped white spot on their face (males) can be seen in Jackson Hole year round. These ducks typically nest in tree cavities and thus rely on older forests of aspen and fir that are near to water. We do get some migratory members of the goldeneye clan arriving to the Snake River for winter, having headed south from their summer lives in Alaska and Canada.

 

All these winged swimmers mingle in the waterways around Jackson this time of year. Maybe they are exchanging stories from their likely harrowing flights from colder places. More likely they are just combing the ponds and rivers for aquatic insects and vegetation to fuel them through the winter months. 

-Adonia Ripple