For the past several years we’ve had a Great Blue Heron (GBH) in the Wetlands on nearly a daily basis. It seems to be the same blue heron, or at least it behaves in the same manner each time that I see it, it’s people shy and stays on the far side of the Wetlands [...] Read the rest of this entry »
Posts Tagged ‘Hooded Merganser’
Herding Shiners
December 12th, 2011Back in October I expressed some concern for our local fish eating birds’ ability to see their prey due to the turbidity of the water in our Wetlands caused by the Red Swamp Crayfish. I specifically mentioned our winter resident Hooded Mergansers who prey upon the Golden Shiners that live in the Wetlands. After observing [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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Two Birds and Three Insects
November 16th, 2011On November 2, I mentioned that I had seen the first of the season Hooded Merganser. It was a single bird (alone) and appeared to be a female. On Thursday (11/10) there were three mergs in the Wetlands, a male and two females. Yesterday (11/15) there were ten birds in the water. There was also [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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Mergs Arrive!!!
November 2nd, 2011This morning I noticed a Hooded Merganser in the Wetlands. I only saw one bird, which was either a female or young male, but I’ll keep an eye out for others during the rest of the day today, there may have been some hidden in the willows. I’ll keep you posted. Read the rest of this entry »
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Will they stay or will they go!
March 24th, 2011The latest that I’ve observed Hooded Mergansers in the Wetlands was April 10 back in 2009 when a lone female was seen taking off from the water of the Wetlands, circled to gain altitude and left for points unknown. Typically, they leave by the last week in March. There have been 10-13 individuals in the [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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Female or Male?
March 8th, 2011Female Hooded Mergansers have yellowish bills which are slightly darker on the upper surface and towards the tip. They also have brown eyes. It was pointed out to me by sharp-eyed Ranger Kristin that one of our “female” Hooded Mergansers has an all dark bill. The bird in question also has bright yellow eyes. The [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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A Bird Walk Thru the Week
January 19th, 2011On this bright, sunny, and relatively warm day following many days of below normal temperatures, I thought it’d be nice to take a walk through the past week or so and have a look at some of the birds that frequent Explore the Wild and Catch the Wind. Take a walk. It’s good for you. Read the rest of this entry »
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People and Birds in the News
January 12th, 2011Last Wednesday (1/5/11) was a busy day here at the Museum. Besides the sightings of a Barred Owl, Red-shouldered Hawk, and Cooper’s Hawk, two other raptorial birds were seen on the trails of the outdoor areas. Master Teachers Meredith Cochran and Anna Engelke were spotted walking Christopher and Misha, the Museum’s Barred Owl and Red-tailed [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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Mergs Strut their Stuff!
January 4th, 2011Today (1/4/11) there were two pair of mergansers in the Wetlands, and they were struttin’ their stuff! As I inspected the boardwalk that leads down into the Wetlands for icy spots this morning, I noticed another pair of mergs on the now mostly open water. The birds were doing their pair bond dance, or courtship [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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