Thanks for posting this. I drove over there today to try to see the Tufted Duck - I had never seen one yet, and, sadly, after a day of looking in the area, still haven't, unless my photos show me otherwise, but I studied the heads of every apparent female scaup I saw, and they all looked smooth. The day was windy, so I figured if there was a tuft, it ought to be ruffled.
I checked the place you describe here from 1:40-2:30, and found 40 total scaup, and studied each one with a scope. I had already stopped at the Holiday Inn, where I saw 25 total scaup, and checked all the females. That was from 1:10 - 1:30.
I went back by the drawbridge from 3:30-4:00, and again saw 40 scaup, scanned them again, but saw no tufts, and all the females appeared to have large white spots on their faces.
So I thought I should just post this report to let people know it WASN'T seen at these times and places today, Sunday, 1/20. If I find a surprise in one of my photos, I'll update this report.
- Ashley Bradford
Alexandria, VA
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