Folks

Sunday Gwen and I went looking for Black Scoter at Pt. Lookout.  We spent about three hours standing in different cold breezy winter-type weather locations w/ no luck.  (Where is this spring weather some are talking about?)  The Point was clearly short on waterfowl, and most other species.  

At the point we had a few Long-tailed Ducks, only a handful of Bufflehead, further out some Horned Grebe and Greater Scaup, and a few White-winged Scoters.  Gannet few by while a few Yellow-rumped Warblers and Song Sparrow chipped behind us.  Pretty slow.

We headed to the fishing peer not to find too much else.  More Horned Grebe, White-winged Scoters, more Bufflehead, Red-breasted Merganser, and only two Common Goldeneye.  Maybe all the ducks reported recently indicate the waterfowl have left a tad early this year.  Most reports were from north.

As we were leaving we worked the causeway slowly and eventually found a few more White-winged Scoters, then we found our only Surf (male) Scoter in the proximity of a sleeping duck. We quickly realized the other bird was a sleeping female duck.  It superficially looked like a Ruddy in the face, but the body was too dark, and the size would be of a female Bufflehead on steroids, so we decided to put the scope on it. 

She eventually woke up, and we could see it was a female Black Scoter.  Camera ready; click and #156 species photographed for 08.  

With our luck changing, we headed to Beauveu to look for a Eurasian Wigeon (EUWI).  I still am hoping for EUWI and Common Eider images this year.  It may have to wait until fall migration, but if they come I will have a closeout on all the annually expected waterfowl.  This would be a good start on my big photo year.  

As we listened to Eastern Meadowlark behind us,  we searched the fresh water ponds and found one Mute Swan, 30 Ring-necked Duck, several Gadwall, two Redheads, and a few Lesser Scaup, but no wigeon of any kind.  

Osprey were building nest, Bald Eagles were trying to steel fish from the Osprey, a male and female Northern Harrier were hunting the fields, and a pair of American Kestrel were hunting from the wires along the fields.  We finished our search by going to the end to the road at the wharf and found three Common Loon.  

Not a bad outing but still waiting for spring.  Good allergies to all.

George