Lake Minnetonka merganser numbers much lower

The several thousand Common Mergansers that had gathered in a flock on Lake Minnetonka, seen Wednesday, had by the weekend dwindled to perhaps 200. The remaining stretch of open water at the site was at least a quarter mile offshore. My ID was made by enlarging photos that showed some mergansers. I think most of them were mergansers. There was one Canada Goose on the ice, and one Bald Eagle flyover. On Wednesday last week there were at least 17 Bald Eagles on the ice or adjacent shorleine. The location is the main body of the lake east of the Arcola Bridge on County Road 15. The birds were seen from the south shore.