It was the coldest day of the season thus far, made worse by strong WNW winds. There was a tremendous amount of heat shimmer which reduced my visibility and the wind was making it difficult to keep my scope steady. Combined with low morning light, this all resulted in many duck ID misses. Thankfully, at least some birds came in close enough that I could resolve their identity through the shimmer. Hopefully with tomorrow’s slightly reduced wind, conditions will be more forgiving.
Mute Swan – 2
Redhead – 178
Greater Scaup – 1
Aythya sp. – 30
White-winged Scoter – 4
Common Merganser – 6
Red-breasted Merganser – 3
duck sp. – 622
Red-throated Loon – 1
Common Loon – 26
Red-necked Grebe – 9
Double-crested Cormorant – 61
Turkey Vulture – 3
Bald Eagle – 5
Peregrine Falcon – 1
