Feb 26 2011 - Waterfowl galore, Riverbend Park

A couple of hours out of desk duty at the Park allowed me to look at the fine collection of Waterfowl on the Potomac between the visitors centre and the dam.
The big prize was the red-necked grebe that has been around for a week or so. Very mobile and feeding between Riverbend and Conn Island, I have just received somewhat convoluted instructions as to where it had just been seen, when it surfaced just in front of me! A really dusky bird, ostensibly it was close to summer plumage patterns but with a smoky colored fore-neck and only indistinctly pale cheeks. The basal 2/3 of the bill were dull but clearly yellow.

On the way down stream the coot flock was accompanied by a few Am Wigeon and Ring-necks, a similar symbiotic relationship as in the UK, although Gadwall don't seem to 'play' here, as they do so frequently in the UK

 

The Duck flock was impressive with 829 Ring-necked and 165 Redhead counted

The 65 Lesser Scaup contained 3 Greater Scaup (2 males and 1 female).  One female Lesser Scaup exhibited a curious bill pattern. The black tip was rather extensive and the usually only slightly paler area behind was white. Otherwise a 'prefect' Lesser Scaup female, the bill was glaringly different from all others. This does seem a variable feature on web pictures though

Female birds made up about 1/3 of lesser Scaup, almost half of the Redheads seen (many apparent pairs) but still a very small percentage of Ring-Necks

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Feb 15 - birding in cold abd snowy places

So for a few weeks now I've been on the road to areas with cold, windy, snowy conditions. One I am sure their are birds out there, a few kestrels on wires in Iowa last week and occasional small flocks of lark type birds seen roadside, but at speed. However without the right combo of time and clothing, it's been a pretty bird free period. Here in MI American Crows are often around the hotel, expert flyers in the windy conditions. Unfortunately the same wind keep everything else secluded away somewhere - next time maybe....