Blue Bill Encore

As a final postscript to my post from this past Monday, April 9th, I couldn't resist reaching out to Toledo Aerial Media after my visit to East Harbor State Park. I had a really nice exchange with one of their co-owners, Phil Myers, and before long, I had him set up to come out to see -- and record -- things for himself.

If you haven't seen their work already, you owe it to yourself to check them out. Either way, enjoy their first-hand account below. Pretty awesome.

A "Spectacular Concentration" of Divers

This afternoon's view of Middle Harbor (just north of Sandusky Bay);
"One of the most spectacular concentrations of ducks I've ever seen in Ohio. . . Unbelievable!" -- E. Moxley

While my family and I were down in South Carolina for spring break (the cause for my ~week absence here), the next installment of "Spring Ducks" was building in the Western Basin of Lake Erie. Roy reported "swarms" of blue wings and green wings (teal) along with persistent numbers of pintails, gadwall, wigeon, and shovelers and a typical smattering of other species (blacks, mergansers, etc.) at Standing Rush over the last 7-10 days.

The woodies haven't arrived yet, but that's not unusual, especially considering how stubborn it's been to warm up. One of the only other common species yet to be common thus far this season -- ironically -- is the most iconic of them all: the mallard. We just aren't seeing big numbers. That is strange.

Less than ideal lighting makes these bluebills
(Greater vs. Lesser Scaup) even more
difficult to differentiate

Speaking of big numbers . . . what has become noteworthy has been the diving ducks. We are seeing some in and around our marsh, but just about ten miles to our north at East Harbor State Park's Middle Harbor the "bluebills" have congregated in jaw-dropping quantities and densities over the last few days. While the photo at the top of the post looks like nothing but Greater and Lesser Scaups, there are Ring-necked Ducks, Redheads, and even some Canvasbacks sprinkled in.

While all of these "divers" are accustom to gathering in large groups as they migrate (in spring and fall), this is a regionally significant push of birds. I've come to learn it is unusual when Roy is taken aback in the marsh, and when a 350-acre expanse of recently restored open water harbors an estimated 100,000 birds, it's grounds for being taken aback.

In fact, the quote that accompanies the first caption is from a friend, former neighbor, and long-time Erie County landowner who has seen A LOT OF DUCKS in A LOT OF PLACES. But he has spent a lifetime tracking them along the shores of Lake Erie. His enthusiasm for this specific gathering is telling. There is a natural spectacle underway. Nothing beats seeing it in person, but at least these images provide a taste.

Greater or Lesser? -- I'd say Lesser, but you decide . . . 

P.S. This mass of diving ducks most certainly warranted the detour on my way home from Erie County this afternoon. It was so awe-inspiring, in fact, that I'm trying to coordinate with Toledo Aerial Media to visit the site tomorrow to capture some drone imagery -- before it's too late. They won't stick around forever. I'll update if they are able to capture them from above.

Blue-winged Teal
(two drakes and a hen)

Green-winged Teal
(solitary drake)

Back at Standing Rush 

. . . just a touch of early spring color

(as always, click to enlarge)

Two more bluewings on the feed in our West Rest Pond

Birds Abound

Ring-necked Duck (background) and Lesser Scaup, or "bluebill" (foreground)

I'm finding it's easy to get spoiled working in my "field office." None of the critters I witnessed over the last couple days in the marsh are particularly rare. Thankfully in fact, they are all actually pretty common in and around Lake Erie marsh country depending on the season. That said these aren't ducks you witness waddling across the putting green or seagulls you see bickering over a French fry in a strip mall parking lot. For that reason alone, they are worth a share.

The two duck species above are both considered "divers," meaning they are heavily reliant on diving below the surface of the water to pursue and gather food -- most often fish. As opposed to "dabbling" ducks which tip and bob in shallow water (think mallards), the Ring-necked Duck and the Lesser Scaup are among those most comfortable in deeper, open water. Spring is our best opportunity for visits from these and similar species, as they migrate back into Canada (and beyond) to breed. These and another commonly confused Greater Scaup are great examples of the subtlety of nature. Ironically, it's the ringed bill of the "Ring-neck" that sets it most apart from the other two "bluebills." We'll get more into these specific species and divers in general as the waterfowl season approaches.

Greater Yellowlegs

If we have freshly exposed mud with intermittent puddles of skim water (e.g. "mudflats") in the marsh in spring or fall -- for example due to a managed draw down of water through pumping or a prolonged drought -- we are going to have Greater Yellowlegs. As with its shorter-billed relative of a shorter stature (the Lesser Yellowlegs), this energetic shorebird (another informal grouping like diving ducks) is a pleasure to watch.

Yellowlegs are known both for seeking food in the mud at an almost frantic pace, and their shrill call is equally recognizable. They typically probe the shallows using their long bill to catch insects and crustaceans of many makes and models, but it appears the one on the right may have stumbled into a finned friend. Call him an opportunist, I guess.

One of my recent memories of this bird ties back to the dike rehab project we did last summer. Shorebirds were making their way back to us, and I got a major kick out of watching my then 10-year-old daughter patiently chase a Yellowlegs down the newly graded dike. At over 5' tall, my daughter may have found a kindred spirit.

These Bonaparte's Gulls are another species that can congregate in huge numbers at certain times of the year on and around Lake Erie. It's not unheard of to see 100,000+ of these elegant fliers all at once in November. (Think in terms of a packed "Big House" in Ann Arbor or "Horseshoe" in Columbus . . . that's a lot of gulls!)

Spring groupings are typically considerably smaller. I peeked in on 10-15 still in their winter plumage. I loved that they were happy to loaf on old, decaying loosestrife root balls. Their dark ear spot is replaced by an all-black head by summer, so it's easy to mistake the two color phases as separate species. Either way, they are striking.