Two NEW SPECIES! Two LIFE-LISTERS! In ONE DAY!

New Species for me! Life Lister, life Lister! Hooray! I went to see where the river had flooded at Saxonville, and there they were! Common Mergansers! And I found them all by myself!


They are just beautiful! Long and slim looking, with dark, dark green heads, and very orange beaks that are tipped with black. Really cool!


I didn't know what the hell they were, of course! The only think I noticed was the female with her reddish fuzzy head looked similar to the female Hooded Merganser.


There seemed to be four or maybe five males and one female. Considering what I witnessed the squirrels getting up to yesterday, I'm thinking mating season must be around the corner, maybe?


The Canada Geese did NOT like these mergansers one bit. They squawked at them and raced across the water like they were going to attack. But the ducks weren't fazed a bit by the display.


All the way home I was singing, "I'm finally getting ducks! I'm finally getting ducks! Like everybody else get ducks!"

Believe me, I am appalled by myself at times!


Poor pics or not, I am posting these guys come hell or high water. Its another species of duck that I have always wanted to see - and now I have! The Common Goldeneye!


NEW SPECIES #2!!!! Common Goldeneye - another LIFE LISTER for me. These images are horrible because it was getting very dark ( and snowing) when I found these two.


Honestly, I thought this was a loon or something the whole time. The female Common Goldeneye looks nothing at all like the male. I mean, even their heads are shaped differently!


My only beef is with the word "common" in both species names. They sure as hell were not common to me! They sure as hell don't look at all common either! They are some damn fine looking birds!