Red Breasted Merganser at Sandy Point

It was a little warmer this morning, but somewhat cloudy.  Snow was predicted for later, but it seemed worth a trip to Sandy Point to see the duck bonanza.

I was surprised to see much of the ice gone, but a friend suggested the overnight winds had blown it South. It certainly hadn’t melted.

There weren’t nearly as many birds, but they still numbered in the multiple hundreds and provided some good looks, albeit in poor light.

Sandy Point 5

Sandy Point 4

Chesapeake Bay Bridge, looking South from Sandy Point.

Common Goldeneye 146Common Goldeneye 143

Common Goldeneye 144

Cornell: The black-and-white Common Goldeneye is one of the last ducks to migrate south in fall. It often will winter as far north as open water permits.

Ruddy Duck 85 Ruddy Duck 84

Ruddy Duck 83

Cornell:Ruddy Ducks are compact, thick-necked waterfowl with seemingly oversized tails that they habitually hold upright. Breeding males are almost cartoonishly bold, with a sky-blue bill, shining white cheek patch, and gleaming chestnut body. They court females by beating their bill against their neck hard enough to create a swirl of bubbles in the water. This widespread duck breeds mostly in the prairie pothole region of North America and winters in wetlands throughout the U.S. and Mexico.

Lesser Scaup 177

Lesser Scaup 176

Lesser Scaup seemed to be the most numerous.

 

Canvasback 104 Canvasback 103

Canvasback 105

Cornell:A large diving duck, the Canvasback breeds in prairie potholes and winters on ocean bays. Its sloping profile distinguishes it from other ducks.

Bald Eagle 382

A friend saw 9 Bald Eagles circling the ducks.

 

Red Breasted Merganser 117

Red Breasted Merganser 116

It’s been a weird year for ducks. I’d have expected to see many Red Breasted Mergansers by now, but I’ve only seen a few. Correction:This is a Common Merganser, a bird we don’t usually see in the bay. The local creeks and rivers are frozen which probably accounts for its presence.