One day in early November a red flag warning was issued with some parts of the county experiencing power outages. The wind whipped across Clear Lake, creating whitecaps and waves. Water was leaping like fish, giving it the feel of an ocean rather than a lakeshore. Currents of air delivered the rich, riparian scent of the live lake. It was intoxicating.
I walk the ancient lakeshore with friends and spy critter prints across the sandy shores. I recall an earlier outing where I observed a small, furry mink scramble along the lake. Mink are members of the weasel family commonly seen in marshes, lakes, and streams. I’m not sure which animals passed through here earlier, but I spy some dog prints, along with a raccoon. Having left my handy pocket-sized book, Animal Tracks of Northern California by Chris Stall, behind, I do my best to sleuth out the other hieroglyphics that are scattered alongside bone-white shells by photographing tracks to study later.
White shells dot the shoreline like confetti. Local archaeologist Dr. John Parker, who is President of the Lake County Historical Society and runs the Ely Stage Stop Country Museum in Kelseyville with his lovely wife, Cheyanne, and other dedicated volunteers, explained that the shells along the shore are native to the lake. He said,” They are freshwater mussels and were a main staple of the Lake Pomo. To prepare, you get a bunch of mussels, lay them single-thick in a shallow depression, and build a fire over them. Once the fire has died down, the mussels have been cooked in their shells and are ready to eat.”
A great egret poses among the tule reeds, awaiting the perfect moment to secure his next meal. Tule reeds were key to the lake’s health in times past and are of vital importance to the lake’s ecosystem today. Boats to baskets were and still are made from the reeds. Superb filters enhance the lake’s water quality as well. Great egret’s feathers flutter in the wind, but he is as still as a stone. Great egrets can be differentiated from snowy egrets by several distinctive features. Great egrets have school bus yellow bills, while snowy egrets sport a black bill and yellow feet. Snowies are smaller than great egrets, too. These birds keep their angel-white feathers in tip-top shape through preening, when they utilize their natural oils to repel grime.
Any day is a good day for bird-watching on Clear Lake. The National Audubon Society considers Clear Lake and its environs as an Important Bird Area, and is one of only 177 in California. Since Clear Lake rests upon the Pacific Flyway, the major traffic artery for migratory birds stemming from Alaska to Patagonia, we are privy to views of roosting water birds, such as American white pelicans, along with terns as they wing their way south.
Just a few weeks prior to this windy walk, I spied four river otters at Austin Park in Clear Lake. River otter tracks are about 3.5 inches across and leave prints of their webbed rear feet in the mud, with claw marks often in display. The park, spanning twenty acres and enjoying a variety of activities, including picnicking, swimming, kayaking, softball, and more, drew me to the shady banks to watch ducks. As mallards bobbed near the shoreline I detected some bubbles arising from the lake about twenty feet away. Next a furry head popped up out of the cool depths of Clear Lake. A river otter! The typical river otter is four feet in length and 15-25 pounds of constant activity. As it swam toward the ducks close to shore I noted another sleek, brown creature, then two more! Are river otters chasing ducks? I had to look into that since I was under the impression that otters ate only fish and invertebrates. According to the River Otter Ecology Project’s website these agile creatures also dine on small waterfowl like ducks. As the ducks instinctively scattered, the river otters turned and swam the width of Austin Park’s swimming beach, looking for all the world like four fur-coated synchronized swimmers!
American coots are out in numbers. I don’t see their prints in the mud, but they would be distinctive since the chicken-sized bird with dark gray plumage and a white bill does not possess webbed feet but has, instead, oversized ‘toes’ with scales. The iNaturalist site explains that American coots are not ducks but are included in a distinct order of their own in the bird family of Rallidae, along with rails and crakes. The iNaturalist database for Clear Lake State Park, the online citizen science social network that shares biodiversity information about the park and numerous areas across the world, includes sightings of many species of flora and fauna seen on this pre-winter walk.
The poetry of a lake, especially Clear Lake, opens a gateway to another world. It’s hypnotic. Its rich waters sustain the spirit. A visit to the oldest lake in North America is always rewarding. You-rewilded!
