Winter comes to the RGV

Cold Weather is coming back to Texas.  After being hot and sunny yesterday, rain, wind, and falling temperatures greeted us today with a possible ice storm tonight.  We drove to South Padre Island to see the new World Birding Center there and eat at “Dirty Al’s.  Birding and photography was going to be limited.  The Birding Center was impressive.  The entry fee is $5/person allows one to enter the extensive boardwalks.  I find it hard to believe that the entry fee pays for the beautiful structure and boardwalks-especially since there is an older boardwalk structure right next to it where there is no charge.  The old one is next to the Convention Center and is where I have photographed in the past.  In the beginning they were linked but now you cannot move from one to the other.  I am sure there is a lot of politics involved here and doubt whether the Birding Center will ever allow freebie birders to park at the Convention Center and move into their area without paying. 

World Birding Center on South Padre

One of the many interior displays

View from the top

View from the bay

I walked the boardwalks alone in my winter gear thinking this was a lot better than winter birding the pier at Holland State Park in negative wind chill numbers.  The locals, however, probably thought these Michigan people were crazy.  There were a few large wading birds braving the wind, a Northern Harrier hunted low, and some Wigeon in the bay but smaller birds, except for the hardy Yellow-Rumped Warblers were all hunkered down.

We had peel-and-eat shrimp at Dirty Al’s along with a fried shrimp poboy.  This is one of the few restaurants that can match the shrimp at Skinner’s although today I think Al’s shrimp were even bigger.

 

On the way back we braved the potholes and drove to Laguna Atascosa again in the hopes that the high winds would keep the hawks low and perched.  A Crested Caracara seemed to prove this hypothesis right.  It seemed reluctant to leave its fence post.  Our first White-tailed Kites appeared but remained out of camera range.  Later a Harris’s Hawk disappeared down a gated service road.  I turned in and in the distance saw a Sandhill Crane being harassed by the Hawk.  The stately Crane did not seem to appreciate the attention of the Hawk who repeatedly dove at it. 

Crested Caracara

Unappreciated Attention

American Kestrel

The next morning felt a lot like Galveston last week.  We are on the southern border of another ice storm.  The palm trees are iced up but the pavement is just wet.  North of us the electricity is out.  Their wires cannot take much ice loading at all.  The ice did knock out the hotel's tv and wireless.  We waited several hours until everything cleared and then drove to Resaca de la Palma State Park.  The park was completely empty so I walked the tram road loop but didn't turn up anything new.

Birding The Rio Grande Valley

 

We checked into our hotel in San Benito and decided we still had enough enough time to drive to Laguna Atascosa NWR.  I had great memories of the cooperative hawks and wildlife that I had photographed there.  The 15 mile Bayside Drive is one of the most unique and beautiful locations on earth.  The habitat is coastal prairie and it is the largest untouched piece of land in the Rio Grande Valley.  It looks pretty much the same as it did when the first Spanish explorers arrived in the 1500’s.  Part of the drive is along the Laguna Madre.  This huge body of water is very shallow and with evaporation and few fresh water rivers feeding it the water becomes much saltier than the Gulf.  Fishermen and birders flock to this area because of its productivity.

 

 

The roads leading to it were very chewed up and had many potholes.  I assumed heavy rain events in the previous years and budget cuts were to blame.  The parking lot was full with cyclists finishing an event. The visitor center had closed at 4 but the feeders were hopping with Plain Chacalacas and Green Jays.  I headed out to the beginning of Bayside Drive only to discover the gate shut.  Sadly, I was told the drive is permanently closed to autos because the sanctuary’s ocelot population has not looked both ways when crossing the roads.  I do remember driving slow here, obeying the low speed limits, and being passed by speeding tourists who decided they were sick of the scenery and wanted to hurry up along the one-way road and be on their way.  Once you entered the drive you were committed to the 15 miles.  Edie and I drove out to Osprey Overlook but found little except a couple and their photographer from Mexico shooting what I guessed were engagement pictures.

Edie decided that she craved Mexican food and had been told about a restaurant that we would pass on the way back.  We arrived to find it closed-the only day it closed early.  We found a Texas Roadhouse near our hotel and broke our seafood diet with steak.

Great Kiskadee

Plain Chachalaca

 

The next morning we arrived at Santa Ana NWR with the sun just beginning to burn through some fog.  This sanctuary boasts over 400 species of birds and 250 species of butterflies.  With over 2000 acres one can find enough trails to satisfy even the most hard-core birder.  We presented our National Parks Pass and were given wrist bands.   We were invited to join a guided birding tour that was going to leave at 8:30.  The leader, Major, was raised in Iron River, Michigan.  Major and his wife had a house in Austen but volunteered during the winters, living in their RV on the refuge.  The ever present Green Jays, Plain Chachalacas, and Great Kiskadees mobbed the feeders as we started out.  Major was hoping to find us some Groove-billed Anis, a rather strange, black, heat loving bird which is more common south and usually doesn’t get this far north in the winter.  They are communal nesters and are often found in small groups.  As we approached a large field a black shape flew out of a nearby bush and headed for the field.  It was followed by four others.  This was a bird I wanted to add to the trip list so even though its coloring is unexciting I was happy to see it.  Other target birds soon made their appearance.  A distant perched hawk morphed from a Broad-winged Hawk, to a Cooper’s Hawk, and finally when two scopes were focused on it became a juvenile Gray Hawk.  Further discussions ensued when Major quickly identified a Pied-billed Grebe and moved on.  A female birder, staying, called back and said, “No, it was the much rarer Least Grebe”.  Everybody returned, focused binoculars on the disputed grebe who kept diving into the sun.  It was tough to see this back lit and quickly reappearing and then disappearing mystery.  The group seemed evenly split.  Field books were taken out. Size, beak shape, and yellow eyes were discussed.  Suddenly two grebes surfaced together at the same
time.  Side by side it was very apparent that everybody was right.  One Pied-billed Grebe and one Least Grebe.  I began to think Grebes may have a sense of humor.

Groove-billed Ani

The tour ended just as the day was beginning to turn hot.  We ate lunch while watching the hummingbird feeders and talking to a few other birders.  We were told about a guaranteed Common Pauraque at Estero Llano Grande State Park near Weslaco.  I wanted to visit the park in the morning but since it was on our way back decided to stop and go Pauraque hunting.  This park has the reputation of being the most productive for birders in the valley the last couple of years.  It has a beautiful visitor center and shaded area overlooking the small fresh water lake.  Over a hundred species of birds can be seen in a day.  Guided tours guarantee over 70 birds on their morning walks.  I wanted just one-the Common Pauraque.

The volunteer at the desk talked me into a $70 annual pass to all Texas state parks.  Daily admission is $5/person.  Since I would be visiting this park twice I would already be $20 in.  Between the National Park Pass and this one I should be able to bird a lot of Texas without additional fees.

The Common Pauraque is a strange night insect-feeding bird which sleeps during the day and is extremely well camouflaged and tough to spot.  An individual has been sleeping on the ground every day in the same spot for several years.  This bird has been seen by thousands of individuals and is mentioned quite a bit on the web.  Many times people have been shown exactly where it is sitting by a brush pile and they still can’t see it.  The friendly volunteer was not a birder but she knew about this famous resident.  She put an “x” on my map and wished me luck.  I was hoping for a crowd of people at the site pointing to it but being hot and late nobody was around.  I figured it was going to be a long, hot, and maybe futile search when suddenly I heard a slight rustle 3 feet in front of me.  There it was!  It acted like it was waking up from a nap, even stretching a wing, and then went back to sleep.  I began to take some photographs when suddenly a second bird moved about two yards from the first.  Looking at their bodies and especially their tails one can see how they disappear so well into their habitat. 

 

On returning to the visitor station we had a cold drink on the shaded porch and then decided to visit the Frontera Audubon Center which was just a few miles away.  They, however, were closed and all we found were some Inca Doves sitting on the porch waiting for somebody to come in and fill the feeders.

Inca Doves

We were a bit tired by this time and looking forward to the Mexican food we had missed out on yesterday.  The hotel clerk had recommended “Sabor De Mi Tierra”, near our hotel in San Benito.  From the “Mi Tierra Favorites” menu we both ordered the “Mexican Supreme” which consisted of 1 beef Chalupa, 2 beef Enchiladas, and 1 small Beef Fajita Taco served with rice and beans for $8.50.  The waiter brought us some chips with a very tiny bowl of salsa.  My first chip was very stale but Edie said they were fine-until she tried her third one .  My guess is that they had poured fresh chips into a half empty bowl from the night before.  When the meal came the Chalupa was hard to get down.  No dressing-just rather dry meat wrapped in the tortilla shell.  The enchiladas were very bland.  When Edie found a hair in her beef fajita taco the meal was over.  There will be no appetite for Mexican food in the next few days. 

Birding Mecca for North American Birders

The Rockport and Fulton area has gained a reputation as one of the best destinations for birders in North America.  It has a great mixture of habitats which produces exceptional bird diversity.  A good winter day can produce over 100 species.  We started at Rockport Beach Park ($5.00/person admission) and found it almost deserted due to the weather.  Laughing Gulls, of course, mobbed a car whose inhabitants threw out some chips.  Several hundred Black Skimmers sat near the beach and possibly 500 avocets loafed close to shore on Aransas Bay.  A few large waders worked Little Bay but for the most part the park was disappointing for such a usually productive park.

I decided to drive the short distance to the Lamar Peninsula in hopes of seeing Whooping Cranes which I have seen there before.  I talked to a birder parked along Lamar Beach Road who said several cranes had been there earlier.  While waiting, I visited "The Big Tree", a 1000 year old Live Oak Tree,  with a diameter of eleven feet.  Yellow-rumped Warbers, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Ladder-backed woodpeckers, Black-crested Titmice,  and Common Ground Doves played in its branches.  The Whooping Cranes never showed up, however, and we decided to call it a day.  One of the better restaurants is Charlotte Plummer's Seafare Restaurant.  Edie and I both ordered the Shrimp Linguini Veracruz.

In the morning we took the ferry across Redfish Bay to Port Aransas.  Our first stop was the John and Scott Holt Paradise Pond.  This is a small, well-hidden oasis with a freshwater pond that has a tremendous history as a "migrant trap" during April and May.  Almost all birders in the spring visit this little gem daily to see what new species have dropped in overnight.  They exchange information and write observations on the chalkboard found at the entry.  There is signage for it but it can be tough to find.  Look for the San Juan Restaurant and drive to the back.  On our visit we found several birders visiting but the pond was dry although a small drip set up attracted Northern Flickers, Gray Catbirds, and Yellow-rumped Warblers.

In my opinion, the best site at Port Aransas for birders and bird photographers is the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center.  It is next to Nueces County Water Control Facility and as you exit your vehicle you will notice a rather funky smell.  A large, fairly new, birding mural painted on the side of the facility does nothing to mask the odor but the effort is appreciated.  Walk through the landscape area and follow the signs to the boardwalk.  You will probably run into a number of birders and photographers with big glass.  The boardwalk is quite narrow so that photographers should set their tripod legs close and not impede traffic.  The birds are quite tame and many ducks sleep near the boardwalk or swim under it.  Because of this, it is one of the best places to bring a youngster who is getting interested in birds.  Some of the birds there included both Pelicans, Black-necked Stilts, both Night Herons, and a Roseate Spoonbill.  The duck list included Redheads, Northern Shovelers, Blue-winged Teal, Green-winged Teal, Northern Pintails, and Black-bellied Whistling Ducks.

Northern Shoveler

Pied-billed Grebe

American White Pelican
 

After lunch we drove down Mustang Island to spend the night in San Benito.

Heading West

Cold fronts keep pushing into the South bringing lower than expected temperatures all around the Gulf.  Having birded Florida for awhile I decided to head for southern Texas for some of those Lower Rio Grande specialties.  Edie and I spent the first night at Dauphin Island in Alabama.  We used to spend a week here every April waiting for possible fallouts.  In January, however, birding is pretty ordinary.  We stopped not for the birds but to check out hurricane damage and hoping one of our favorite seafood places was open.




Don't pass up this place when visiting Dauphin Island.  It is take out only.

Skinner's Seafood is run by a fishing family.  Everything is caught in the Gulf the night before.
They will steam your order with whatever seasoning you want while you wait.  Throw in some red potatoes and sweet corn into the steamer along with you shrimp and you have a meal that will keep you coming back whenever possible.

 

In the morning we began our drive to Galveston through occasional light showers.  As we continued through the Bolivar Peninsula to catch the ferry we began to get weather reports of a winter storm warning for this evening.  Houston was expecting freezing rain and some snow-a rarity for them.  Our destination was the Scottish Inn, an older but clean and comfortable hotel located right next to the ferry docks.  The manager/owner was a friendly, talkative, older gentleman who said he wanted us to have a good time during our two nights here and felt so bad about the weather that he lowered our rate to $50 a night.  I had mixed feelings about that.  Great rate but what kind of weather had we gotten ourselves into?  We settled in and went out to explore.  The grey skies, wind, and occasional showers put an end to any photography and even birding was tough.  Given the conditions there was only one thing to do - find a good restaurant! 

 

Edie had talked up the manager who recommended two locations.  One seafood and one Italian.  We headed for "Shrimp 'N Stuff" (www.shrimpnstuff.com), a walk up and order restaurant which had an outside and inside areas for dining.  They opened 38 years ago and came to be known as the "place where the locals love to eat".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We ordered the 14 piece u-peel-em boiled shrimp meal for $9.99.  It included slaw, fries, and hush puppies.  It was a great meal even though the shrimp did not compare in size and quality to Skinners.

 



In the morning Galveston was having light rain with some icing.  Streets were only wet and traffic was having no problems.  Houston, however, had a lot of ice and some snow.  Schools were closed or delayed.  At Hobby Airport, officials were allowing small planes that had been kept inside to take off, but any larger planes left outside were grounded.  Deicing equipment is not used much here.  Windshield ice scrapers also seem to be something most Houstonians did not have.  Announcers advised using an old credit card... Doesn't everybody carry those around for emergencies?  Some highways and bridges were closed and staging areas for wreckers and damaged vehicles were set up.  A female television reporter demonstrated making her first ever snow angel.  I gave her an "A" for effort and technique but with only one inch of snow present you needed a little imagination to see it.

We decided to wait an hour before starting out.  Wind chill temperatures were in the teens and birds were hunkered down.  Most of the birding would be done from the car today.  We began at Offat's Bayou which is suppose to be good for loons.  Five common loons were found but there was very little other activity except for gulls, Ruddy Turnstones, and a few Willets.



Common Loon in winter dress



Even the Willets looked cold.

 

Ruddy Turnstones were common.

 

 

Our next stop was Lafitte's Cove Nature Park.  Edie stayed in the car while I walked through it.  Green-winged Teal, Northern Shovelers, Mallards, and Gadwalls were in the lagoons.  Yellow-rumped warblers were everywhere.  I was hoping for rails but none showed or called.  A single Roseate Spoonbill was the single wader there.  Our next stop was Sportsman Road.  Again birds were hunkered down.  This road is often termed "Rail Road" because of the large number of rails present.  This day, however, not a single one appeared.  There were a good number of Western Sandpipers, Dowitchers, and Willets.  A number of Snowy  Egrets and a single Great Blue Heron represented the large wading birds.  By this time the "Freezin Frisian" decided that hot soup was needed.  She picked Joe's Crab Shack with their Monday-Friday endless soup and salad menu.  Several gumbos and chowders later we were on our way again.

 

East Beach produced some of the same birds along with Black Skimmers, Marbled Godwits, American Oystercatchers, and a single Spotted Sandpiper.  Two Crested Caracaras escorted a Red-tailed Hawk out of the area just before we left.

 

Spotted Sandpiper in winter dress.

Marbled Godwit

A final trip to Pelican Island turned out badly when we discovered Seawolf Park had locked their gates.  Whether this was due to the weather or a new policy was unknown.  Tomorrow we will head farther south down the Texas Coast.



 

 



Miami and the La Sagra Flycatcher

The Miami area might not be the first area a nature photographer thinks of when planning new trips, but for a birder it is a must.  Some biologists have called the area an open air zoo because of the exotic animal trade and subsequent escapes.  Some of these escapees will establish permanent self-sustaining populations while many will not.  The ABA, in it's wisdom, will not allow birders to officially count species unless they are sure it is an established, self-sustaining population.  Nevertheless, the huge numbers of exotic parrots and other birds make this an extremely interesting place whether you are a serious lister or not.

If you have seen the movie, "The Big Year" you know what extremes these "listers" will take.  Neil Haywood (www.acccidentalbigyear2013.blogspot.com)' the apparent new champion, visited 28 states, 7 provinces, flew 193,758 miles (177 flights through 56 airports), drove 51,758 miles and spent 147 hours at sea to set the new record.  Robert Ake, a 2010 Big Year competitor, made multiple trips to the Miami area to see what he called in the final month of his quest, "The dreaded La Sagra's Flycatcher".  This rather plain bird is not an escapee but simply a West Indian species that got lost in a flight from the Bahamas, Cuba, or Caymans.  Recent years has found an individual in either Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park in Key Biscayne or Matheson Hammock Park on the mainland. 

Recent reports indicated an individual La Sagra's Flycatcher singing just south of the bathrooms at Matheson Hammock Park so that is where we started. Within five minutes I heard the high pitched "wink" note.  It took another half hour to secure a decent photo of the bird but I felt quite good after knowing the difficulty this bird sometimes presents.


A sought after code 3 bird but definitely not that impressive

We also found a flock of Yellow-chevroned Parakeets between the bathrooms and the parking lot.  These birds were feeding in a fruit-laden tree and were quite well camouflaged and quiet when feeding but make a lot of noise when in flight

 

 



Yellow-chevroned Parakeet



Since Wakodahatchee Wetlands and Green Cay Wetlands of Boynton Beach lay between Miami and St Cloud, we decided to take a tour of both since there is always something new at one or the other.  The two small parking lots at Wakodahatchee were filled but since there was a Neotropic Cormorant continuing there we eventually found a spot and joined the crowds.  Most were interested in the Great Blue Herons nesting at the first outlook.  I immediately found the Neotropic Cormorant  looking rather lonely besides the larger Double-crested Cormorants.

Notice the white v outline at the base of the bill.  This is diagnostic in differentiating it from Double-crested Cormorants

 



Nesting Double-crested Cormorants.

 

Green Cay Wetlands also had a lot of birders and walkers but the visitor center had it's hours cut and was not open.  I was hoping to see a Purple Swamp Hen, a bird I have never seen, and recently reported here but after a careful search nothing turned up.  I did see a group of birders looking at what I hoped was the Swamp Hen but was was quickly told it was an American Bittern.  This has been somewhat of a nemesis bird for me so I was partly mollified.   This fairly large bird is so confident of it's camouflage that it allows close approach while remaining absolutely quiet.

 

 

 

A great place to eat when birding this area is The Four Brother's Italian Restaurant.  When we arrived they were backed up with carryout orders and informed us it would take a little longer than usual.  The management offered us any salad and soups off the menu along with garlic bread while we waited.  We ordered the calzones for $16 which was supposed to feed 3-4 people.  We could only eat a third of it and walked out with a large doggy bag.  The calzones were excellent and we had them for two more meals.  The long wait we expected-only 30 minutes.

 

From the Icebox to the Oven

After returning from Canada, weather reports were not encouraging for planned road trips to shoot eagles along the Mississippi River or a trip to northern Minnesota.  Wind chills close to 50 below at Duluth made the decision to head south easy.  Two days later I was in central Florida traveling down Joe Overstreet Road to Lake Kissimmee.  Highs in the mid eighties were predicted.

Joe Overstreet Road was made famous by a local photographer who guides here and wrote an e-book
on bird photography along the road.  It is not too difficult to see 50 species on the four mile ride to the boat launch and small fish camp on Lake Kissimmee.  Bald Eagles and Sandhill Cranes are a given and Whooping Cranes (from an attempt to establish a flock here) are often seen.  Locals (mostly cattle ranchers and sod farmers) are familiar with slow driving cars armed with camera lenses.  Keep in mind that blocking the semi trucks hauling sod will cause ill-will for later photographers enjoying the road.

On the drive to Lake Kissimmee it seemed every half mile contained an American Kestrel.  Loggerhead Shrikes were almost as common along with Savannah Sparrows.  Two Bald Eagles sat in a dead tree with a Crested Caracara 100 feet away.  Sandhill Cranes walked alongside the road rather unconcerned about my presence.  When I reached the boat launch I followed my usual custom of turning left through the camp and heading south to a mowed grassy area where airboats launch. 

As I set up I could hear a Red-shouldered Hawk calling to my right, an Eastern Meadowlark behind me, and Boat-tailed Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds to my left.  In front of me White and Glossy Ibis were working the weedy shoreline along with a Tri-colored Heron and Little Blue Heron.  A Wilson's Snipe flushed as I moved forward but Forster's Terns stayed on the fence posts that extended out into the water. American Coots and Common Gallinules were everywhere. A Long-billed Curlew foraged closer to the air boat launch. 

As I was watching the Curlew a female Snail Kite flew slowly over the boat launch and approached the area in front of me.  As I began to focus on the Kite, a Boat-tailed Grackle launched itself from the rushes and attacked the Snail Kite from beneath.  The Grackle would appear to be overmatched but the element of surprise along with the heft of this relatively large and heavy grackle seemed to have an effect on the Kite.  After the attack it immediately perched directly in front of  me and seemed unharmed but a little dazed.  Probably not a good experience for the Kite but a great one for the photographer.  Be prepared for great experiences when working Joe Overstreet Road.

Boat-tailed Grackles are large, noisy, and sometimes annoying but who would have
thought they were the gangsters of the marsh.

Pursuit of the unsuspecting female Snail Kite who is simply foraging
for snails



Sneak attack from below

I don't know much about Kite facial expressions but this female seemed
to have a "what just happened" look on her face.

A beautiful male Snail Kite arrived on the scene a little later.

Always expect Common Gallinules to be sounding and acting goofy.

Bald Eagles continue to fly by on their way to and from the lake.

Little Blue Heron

Eastern Meadowlark

Tri-color Heron



Long-billed Curlew

The sheer numbers of Turkey and Black Vultures in Florida in winter
makes me wonder how many dead critters this state produces.

The people and airboat activity at the launch produce very unconcerned
birds which make the photographers job easier.

A common sight along Joe Overstreet Road

Niagara Falls in Winter

The falls offer a different beauty in the winter

Niagara Falls in the winter is not for everybody.  Niagara Falls at six below zero appeals to even fewer individuals.  I had often read of the great variety and number of gulls found during the winter along the Niagara River. I decided to make a quick road trip there in the hopes that the severe weather we have been having lately might improve in a few days to make a trip to the Sax Zim bog in northern Minnesota possible .  A second incentive was a desire to improve my identification skills.  I have often thought that the more time spent trying to get the "perfect shot" of an individual bird (photographer mode) tends to limits the practice needed to gain field identification skills (birder mode).  I hope to turn the dial more toward the birder side this year.


Above the falls at six below

A total of 19 species of gulls have been recorded in the Niagara area with a record of 14 being seen in one day. That is apparently a world record.   Besides the usual Ring-billed Gulls and Herring Gulls, it is possible to see Bonaparte's, Little, California, Thayer's, Glaucous, Franklin's, Iceland, Large Black-backed Gull,  Lesser Black-backed Gull, Sabine's, Ross's Gull, Black-legged Kittiwake, Ivory, Slaty-backed, and Heerman's.  Since gulls can have a different plumages in each of their first 3 to four years of life and exhibit individual variability, identification can be very challenging and frustrating.


Expect to find warmly dressed tourists in the area

A third reason for going was to witness another one of nature's spectacles.  Every evening just before dark thousands of Bonaparte's Gulls, which have been feeding on the river, fly past Niagara on the Lake to roost on Lake Ontario at night.  This usually occurs through mid January.  Other species may join this group.  This spectacle has been named "The Niagara Fly Past".

The drive from Michigan was uneventful.  We checked into our hotel, bundled up, and joined the rest of the tourists.  My first impression was that Niagara Falls in the winter is not much different from Niagara Falls in the summer.  There are the same huge numbers of tourists, high prices, and a little tackiness which detracts from the beauty of the natural falls themselves.  Gaudy lighting on the streets and attractions are just the beginning.  Since parking is at a premium people stop their vehicles in the middle of the street so a passenger can jump out and take a picture while drivers behind then curse.  This may have been exacerbated by the cold.

My biggest disappointment, however, was seeing that the number of gulls was greatly diminished from what I had expected.  Both in the gorge and above the falls the numbers were down.  I counted only four species (Great Black-backed Gull, Glaucous Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Herring Gull).  I did not see a single Bonaparte's Gull.  I began to suspect that the extreme cold and icing had driven many of the gulls to the east coast and south already.


Notice the ice build up on the Mute Swan's bill

My fears were confirmed the next day as I checked along the river to Niagara on the Lake and found more of the same.  The river contained mostly Long-tailed Ducks and White-winged Scoters although there were a few Mute Swans, Canadian Geese, Canvasbacks, Redheads, and Buffleheads.  Just in case I had missed the gulls on the river somehow, I spent an hour before dark along the river to see the "Fly Past".  Very few gulls sailed by but hundreds of Long-tailed Ducks and White-winged Scoters gradually traveled to spend the night on Lake Ontario.  Edie wisely decided to skip the "Fly Past" and spent the time shopping in Niagara on the Lake.  We found the atmosphere here much more enjoyable than in the Niagara Falls area.  We ate at the Little Red Rooster restaurant before returning to our hotel. 


Long-tailed Ducks

Male and female White-winged Scoters

For anybody wanting to go winter "gulling" I would advise mid November thru December or at least during a normal temperature year if going in early January.