I filled in for Jason today so he could have a rare day off and so he could go track down the Fork-tailed Kingbird that has been hanging out in the Upper Peninsula near the Wisconsin border. It was a pretty slow day but had a few highlights. There were two large flocks of Mallards that flew by to the east. I know you’re thinking “big deal, Mallards?” The thing is, Mallards are actually not all that common during the waterbird count. One flock even had an American Black Duck with it. Other unusual birds included a late Northern Harrier and a Hooded Merganser. Other than that it was mostly the usual suspects: Long-tailed Ducks, Redheads, Red-breasted Mergansers and White-winged Scoters. Here is the full list with some photos following.
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 1
American Black Duck (Anas rubripes) 1
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 56
Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris) 1
Greater Scaup (Aythya marila) 15
Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis) 4
Aythya sp. (Aythya sp.) 117
White-winged Scoter (Melanitta fusca) 59
Black Scoter (Melanitta americana) 1
Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis) 354
Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) 23
Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) 1
Common Merganser (Mergus merganser) 8
Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator) 36
duck sp. (Anatinae sp.) 93
Red-throated Loon (Gavia stellata) 2
Common Loon (Gavia immer) 3
Horned Grebe (Podiceps auritus) 3
Red-necked Grebe (Podiceps grisegena) 3
Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) 3
Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus) 1
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) 1
Red-tailed Hawk (borealis) (Buteo jamaicensis borealis) 1
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) 13
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) 4
Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) 1
Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) 1
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) 7
Common Raven (Corvus corax) 1
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) 7
Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) 3
Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis) 3
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa) 1
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) 31
