2013 and beyond

It's pretty simple: the most birds seen or heard from one's yard during 2013 will be the "winner". Want in? O.k....then do it despite that.

2013 promises to be a lot less mean but still a carbon-free birding competition, even if slightly less exciting than a MEGA x EPIC hybrid.

Monday, January 23, 2012

#30 - Ring-necked Duck in late January!?

We got probably 6-8 inches of snow last week, and promptly lost most of it overnight during some freak thunderstorms/rain.  The ensuing snow-melt pooled up nicely in the golf course and a pretty large number of Mallards were happily utilizing the newly created habitat when I walked out to my car this morning.  I ran back inside to grab my bins and came back to see a male Ring-necked Duck pushing its way through water that is only inches deep - dabbling in the grass right next to Mallards!?

Who knows where this guy came from - the only open water in the vicinity (that I know of) is a small amount of open water within FermiLab that is closed to the public, and portions of the Fox River to the west are open.  Either way - he is a most welcome addition to my '12 year list for The Wetlands - and he may be my last post-worthy bird from here.
Oh yeah - I almost forgot to mention this bastard-child of a ABDU and MALL that was also gracing the flooded golf course.  Seriously - could have used a pure one for the year...

I'm moving north in search of PIGR, BOCH, and BBWO.  6 miles is better than nothing I guess!?
Posted by at

4 comments:

  1. Caleb PutnamJanuary 23, 2012 at 10:38 PM

    Oddly, 2 species which also arrived on Lincoln lake in the past week as freezeup apparently kicked them off of some other lake somewhere north of here.

    Nice birds SEFI, but I am not looking at waterfowl the way I used to. Both of these will be easy pickups come April at the PuttHutt.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The Owl RanchJanuary 23, 2012 at 11:17 PM

    you know I was just looking for one of these that was on the head of the Keweenaw Bay this weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Swamp KatJanuary 24, 2012 at 8:02 AM

    Look at Caleb all kool taking the wait-and-tick approach, do I detect a little L'Attitude water boy? In the old days you would have been on the roof in a parka trying to snag that RNDU en route to the southern tier of yardbirders.

    Nice work Fitz, that duck took the red-eye from Keweenaw Bay and brought his x-duck friend. I'd check the open water for new arrivals but I don't have any.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Caleb PutnamJanuary 24, 2012 at 8:40 PM

    I will be on the roof when Whitefish Lake is open and birds are moving. But right now it's pure ice and the chances for anything but the remaining MUSWs (which flew over my house today actually and I already had anyway) are essentially zero. But come thaw up I'll be scoring waterfowl like shooting fish in a barrel. Congrats to Fitzy on a last few birds before the Wetlands are departed!

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)