I finally had a chance to go out and look around to see what was around. I headed down to a couple of local wetlands that have been real waterfowl magnets in the past. I got to the first and found it to be dry as a bone and without a bird to be seen. It just breaks my heart to find this. The wetland had been such a good site that a parking area was built to accommodate all the birders. Then, last year, drainage work was done on the surrounding area and the wetland dried up. We hoped it would fill back up but alas, I think it is lost.
The second wetland was a much brighter sight. This is a place that is protected and is found on a "Century Farm" (a farm in the same family for at least 100 years). This wetland held all sorts of prizes. The list of waterfowl included:
Gadwall
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shovelers
American Widgeons
Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
and it was even nice to see American Coots...
Seen nearby was:
Bald Eagle
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Turkey Vulture
Ring-necked Pheasant
Horned Larks
It looks like we'll miss the snowstorm passing south of us tomorrow so I hope to get out again and see if any new surprises have arrived.
Good Birding!
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