Michael and I stopped by Beaverfork Lake this morning to see what ducks the freezing temperatures brought to the lake. It was literally covered with thousands of Pintails (which are not huntable on this lake). We saw a larger merganser far out in the lake. We tracked it for a bit, studying the head color etc, and will blame the sun and resulting glare for tricking us into thinking it was a female Common Merganser. We went back later to confirm it, this time with the sun behind us, and relocated it even further out. Roger Massey was also there to help track it. Eventually it got fairly close and in good light and we easily came to the undeniable conclusion that it was instead a female Red-breasted Merganser. Over the next several freezing days, the lakes could be full of ducks, geese and maybe even some swans. A good time to check your local lakes. Plus right now, as I write this, there are a few thousand Common Grackles (Bronzed) in the neighborhood making a huge racket and showing off their beautiful and iridescent bronze feathers in the late afternoon sun. We checked for other species but all we found were the grackles. A beautiful sight.Patty McLean and Michael Linz The Roadrunners
