Gordon & Carol & I arrived at Myers about 11am.
We first looked from the lighthouse without success.
Then from the south side of the marina I found the
KING EIDER, but it took awhile. The scope made it
possible -- Gordon said he couldn't find it with
binoculars -- but it took me multiple scans. Perhaps
the bird was underwater on my initial passes. It was
not so far out that heat shimmer or the snowfall
made ID difficult once we had it in the scope, but
waves did hide it quite a bit when it was off by
itself in feeding mode. Then it took flight and
circled around showing us all angles, which was
nice, and it alit among a small raft of MALLARDS.
They were not close to shore, perhaps due to
earlier hunting, but we saw no hunters. There were
also only a handful of AMERICAN COOTS, all
outside the marina and near the shoreline docks.
Other birds included a MALLARD x AMERICAN
BLACK DUCK hybrid, a COMMON LOON, and
4 COMMON GOLDENEYE. We actually did not
make it to the spit, but a quick scan showed RING-
BILLED, HERRING, and GREAT BLACK-BACKED
GULLS. We did not notice the small brown birds
which Bruce Packard mentioned, but for what it's
worth, American Pipits walk with a pigeon-like
head-bobbing motion, rather than hopping. I think
Snow Buntings are more apt to hop and have been
seen there lately.
--Dave Nutter
We first looked from the lighthouse without success.
Then from the south side of the marina I found the
KING EIDER, but it took awhile. The scope made it
possible -- Gordon said he couldn't find it with
binoculars -- but it took me multiple scans. Perhaps
the bird was underwater on my initial passes. It was
not so far out that heat shimmer or the snowfall
made ID difficult once we had it in the scope, but
waves did hide it quite a bit when it was off by
itself in feeding mode. Then it took flight and
circled around showing us all angles, which was
nice, and it alit among a small raft of MALLARDS.
They were not close to shore, perhaps due to
earlier hunting, but we saw no hunters. There were
also only a handful of AMERICAN COOTS, all
outside the marina and near the shoreline docks.
Other birds included a MALLARD x AMERICAN
BLACK DUCK hybrid, a COMMON LOON, and
4 COMMON GOLDENEYE. We actually did not
make it to the spit, but a quick scan showed RING-
BILLED, HERRING, and GREAT BLACK-BACKED
GULLS. We did not notice the small brown birds
which Bruce Packard mentioned, but for what it's
worth, American Pipits walk with a pigeon-like
head-bobbing motion, rather than hopping. I think
Snow Buntings are more apt to hop and have been
seen there lately.
--Dave Nutter
On Dec 04, 2010, at 01:49 PM, jpack...@clarityconnect.com wrote:
I was at the Marina Saturday morning. No eider, but several decoys on the water,
with a duck hunter crouched on the shore. At the spit at Myers were small sparrow like
birds hopping on the ground. Pipits, perhaps ?
Bruce Packard
Groton
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