Waterbird Count, April 4

Today was a far cry from the last two days.  To start, the wind was blowing in excess of ten miles per hour and from the north all day.  There was also light to moderate rainfall throughout the day, along with dense fog reducing visibility to an average of three miles.  Most of the birds recorded today were seen in flight, since the height of the waves made spotting loafing waterfowl much more challenging.  Jason Newton also appeared in the early afternoon to help with the counting since the weather was making hawk watching too difficult.  Despite the drop in avian activity, there were still a few positive signs out on the lake.  To start, the piles of snow and ice close to shore that have been partially obscuring my view of the lake since day one could be heard cracking, melting, and falling apart all day.  In addition, there was a beaver seen in the sheltered shallow water between the snow piles and the shore.  It was seen very briefly in the morning, and then reappeared to swim about and dive in the shallows from 1:30 PM onward.

Canada Goose – 6
Mallard – 2
Redhead – 3
Long-tailed Duck – 10
Common Goldeneye – 20
Common Merganser – 26
Red-breasted Merganser – 268
duck sp. – 23

Other Species:
Northern Harrier – 2
Bald Eagle – 4

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