Bird Watching

T.J. and I took part in a waterfowl viewing tonight down at the river. Now, I'm not much of a bird identification person. I can tell you that's a goose, and that's a pretty duck, and that's about it. So it was a good thing that there were bird experts there who graciously shared their scopes, and not only told you what duck you were looking at but pointed out it's distinguishing features. By the end of the evening I could quite confidently yell out "I see a Bufflehead!".

There were two highlights for me - a Great Blue Heron, and watching three male Goldeneyes do their mating thing for some lucky female. The sunlight was hitting the river just right then, adding that perfect touch of light so that all the features of the ducks stood out sharply right down to those golden eyes as they bobbed their heads and arched their necks backwards practically touching their backs - just trying to catch her attention. In the background, an otter swam sleekly down the river - a perfect nature moment.

My list of sightings: 2 Bald Eagles, Mallards, Pintails, Goldeneyes, Buffleheads, Common Mergansers, a Hooded Merganser, a Lesser Yellow Legs (he looked pretty goofy on his scrawny yellow legs), a Green Winged Teal, a Blue Heron, a whole lot of Canadian Geese and on Otter. * o

Bird Watching