What Else Is At Whitewater Draw?

This gorgeous White-crowned Sparrow was one of dozens of species we saw at Whitewater Draw - in addition to the 10,000 Sandhill Cranes

Tom caught a few good shots of this Savannah Sparrow.

I was extremely proud of myself for sighting a Common Yellowthroat among the weeds.  It wouldn't be a big deal to most birders, but I am absolutely no good at warblers!

There were Northern Shovelers galore.

A couple of Ring-necked ducks.

A few scattered Common Mergansers.

Tons of American Coots were in the marsh.  I like this image because the bird looks like he is smiling.

These are just a few of the dozens of species that can be seen at Whitewater Draw in Southern Arizona.  It is a spectacular birding location with spectacular scenery to boot!

East Coast AND West Coast Birds

Not every bird I saw out west was exotic.  Quite a few were old familiar friends, actually.  This American Coot is often seen on the East Coast.

Double-crested cormorants are abundant even in Framingham, Massachusetts.  They've practically taken over the Heron Rookery in the Foss Reservoir!

Snowy Egrets are almost always seen during the summer months in New England.

My first Ruddy Duck was diving in the Foss Reservoir, too!

Ruddy Ducks still have a special place in my heart!

The three female Common Mergansers we saw enjoying the salmon spawn at Lake Tahoe look exactly like the Common Mergansers on the Sudbury River.  It's actually pretty cool to see where some of our birds end up when they leave us!

Wordless Wednesday - Waiting for a Bus

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Common Mergansers: Birds of Prey?

Yes! Common Mergansers, too! I haven't accomplished much in the way of seeing new species this winter, but at least I got Hooded Mergansers, Red-breasted Mergansers, and now Common Mergansers. Yeah!!! The Common Merganser males are very regal looking.


Like the other merganser's, Common Merganser females have that crazy 'I Love Lucy' hair. But a careful look reveals that she, too, is a very attractive duck.


You wouldn't believe the size of the fish she swallowed ! It was almost as big as she was. It took a long while to choke it down, too!


I never in my wildest dreams imagined they ate fish this size! After she ate it, you could still see it flopping around inside her neck and belly.


He's eating a frog! Where did he get a frog in the middle of winter? My son said they dig the frogs out of the mud at the river bottom where they are hibernating.

Who knew that Common Mergansers were bloodthirsty predators?

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!