One sleeping, male ruddy duck was seen at 8:20 a.m. Thursday on Lake Winona. The bird looked transitional between winter and breeding plumage. The body, cocked tail, white cheek patch and dark cap were apparent, but its back and sides appeared to contain only partial amounts of the rusty red breeding plumage.
It was my first ruddy of the season, and the last common duck migrant remaining for me to see for the first time this spring along the river. There were 16 red-breasted mergansers on the lake Wednesday, and they were there again on Thursday. Look for large numbers of bald eagles on the expansive ice remaining at Weaver Bottoms north of Minneiska. There were dozens loitering and scuffling over fish remains on Wednesday. Their food looked like large carp that may have been caught and hauled onto the ice. This may become a good gull spot once they arrive here in numbers. Regards, Jeff Dankert 908 Parks Ave Apt 158 Winona MN 55987-5330 (507) 454-0033 renoh...@hbci.com
