This afternoon there was a flock of male and female Northern Shovelers in the open water and on the ice west of the Gazebos at Kuntze Lake (west of Wadsworth and Ohio) in the Lakewood Civic center. There was also at least 1 pair of Common Goldeneye, along with the typical Geese and Gulls. We went looking for the Mergansers reported last week, rookie birders with new binoculars who forgot our reference books and not really knowing what we were looking for, but with enough knowledge to be able to tell that they wouldn't look like geese, or Mallard ducks. When I arrived I was thrilled to see two male ducks with rust colored chests and iridescent green heads, and after looking saw their female counter parts. But they had odd shovel-like beaks that did not seem Merganser-ish, and we identified them later as Northern Shovelers. I also saw a male Common Goldeneye diving amongst the geese, and then picked out the female Goldeneye diving, too. Enthralled, I watched these ducks for 15 minutes not recognizing that, among the several geese on the small island 20 yards away, were another 20 - 30 sleeping Northern Shovelers! As I started to look farther out into the open water and along the ice I realized there were more, maybe a total of 50 on the lake. Lesson learned, don't forget to scan the whole area, particularly when you immediately focus on the obvious. Mike McAteer Lakewood
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