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

Top Ten

The Mallard or "Greenhead" is perhaps the most identifiable duck, and it has served as the foundation for waterfowl

hunting for generations

Considering recent posts and repeated reference to teal and "big ducks," I thought it would make sense to provide some visual context. We've already seen more than twenty-five species of waterfowl (ducks, geese, swans) on the property, but those included here probably represent the ten most common duck species.

All but the teal (top right and middle right below) are what we would consider "big ducks." I am collecting a growing portfolio of reference photos, but for consistency, I created this page from stock images available through www.allaboutbirds.org, an incredible online tool produced by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. If you like (or love) birds and are unfamiliar or haven't spent much time on this website, you need to get acquainted. It's a treasure trove of information.

Top: Wood Duck, Hooded Merganser, Blue-winged Teal;

Middle: Gadwall, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal;

Bottom: American Wigeon, American Black Duck, Northern Shoveler

Keep the Teal Coming!

I'd estimate this flock at ~150 bluewings; it was part of a larger assemblage of maybe ~300 that have been
congregating this week in the millet that we seeded on the East Marsh 

If you've never seen teal fly, put it on your list. To me, it is a spiritual experience. All birds are fun to watch in flight if you really watch them, but these fast fliers take it to another level. Numbers have been building modestly over the last few days. But reports from the blinds this past weekend suggest we had enough to keep hunters alert and happy . . .

"I don't know if I can remember the last time we shot 14 teal in one morning from one blind."

"The teal were tons of fun, but I don't know if I've ever seen that many big ducks getting up from the Rest Pond at the same time." (A quote from a long-time lease holder just after opening morning)

We're a little anxious of cool-cold overnight lows forecast for the end of the week. While the Gulf Coast endorses a steady press from historic hurricanes, we have had incredible weather. Roy calls 75 degrees for a high and 55 for a low ideal -- especially if it is sustained. We have been hitting that about perfectly, but they are hinting at upper 40s for the weekend. Call them fare-weather, but historically, if the mercury dips below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, teal head south. We'll see . . .

These birds didn't know if they wanted to stay or go; fortunately for them, Roy was holding an I-phone and not a 12-gauge

I liked this crop because it literally gets my adrenaline pumping; so much fun to see them flying low over the marsh

Teal Opener with the Kids

Three people I always enjoy sharing company with;
we all laughed often and with plenty of birds in the air,
it didn't take a camera to make us smile

While last week ended just as it began from a work perspective, fast and furious, it seems only appropriate that I start this morning's entry with a quick recap of a quiet evening in the marsh -- our first duck hunt of the 2017 season. Opening day of the 15-day teal season was yesterday, and while I opted to defer to the lease holders for the morning hunt, one of my best buddies and I took my two oldest kids out for an evening in #15 (the name for a blind on the West Marsh; an artifact of a numbering system I'm honestly still trying to figure out).

Our son enjoyed time in the blind (and John's company) last season, but this was a first for our daughter. We had plenty of food, drinks, and bug spray packed just in case things went quiet after what was reported to be a pretty active morning of shooting. But as it turned out, we had plenty to watch in the sky and on the water.

Teal season is unique for a lot of reasons. The weather is often warm -- if not downright hot, especially when in waders. Sunrises and sunsets are still pushed relatively early and late. The marsh is still green, and the bugs are still active. And by law, hunters can effectively only shoot two species of ducks in Ohio -- the blue-winged teal and the even more pint-sized green-winged teal. (As an aside, Canada geese are also open for an early season.)

Teal are among my favorite birds. Not only do they fly like fighter jets -- often screaming through the sky in tight, fast formations -- but they are absolutely beautiful both on the wing and on the water. They are extremely tasty, too! Whether I have a shotgun in-hand or not though, they are an adrenaline rush in feathered form. I just love seeing them.

A photo is one of the only ways
to slow down a blue-wing

As it played out, John and I (the only hunters shouldering guns) only had three chances at teal, and one was a solo blue-wing that buzzed the decoys about three feet above the water. I only had time for one trailing shot and John didn't even see the bugger! We ended up empty handed in terms of a harvest, humbled by rusty shooting. But we must have seen several hundred "big ducks" (e.g. mallards, wood ducks, pintails, widgeon, gadwall, etc.) in addition to a few flocks of geese fly directly or nearly directly overhead.

The kids were all smiles. In addition to the ducks and geese, they enjoyed watching thousands of swallows feeding on the bug bonanza, chattering kingfishers and Caspian terns, and maybe a dozen trumpeter swans, as they all flew and fed unknowingly past the blind.

The morning hunters had fair to good success throughout the holiday weekend. My phone was filled with excited texts and photos from the field by noon each day. The recurring themes: a few teal around, lots of big ducks (by some accounts, more than have been seen in this marsh in a long time at this point in the year), and genuine excitement for how the marsh is looking. "The table is set."

Teal season is seen as a bonus or warm-up to the "real" duck hunting season for many. To me, it is an experience all its own. But I have to say, it gets the juices flowing for all that a full transition from summer to fall to winter can bring. Few things are better than autumn in the marsh!