Port Huron Long-tailed Ducks, Pt 1 - 14 Jan 2026
Robin and I decided to work on our marriage today, so I made her come with me to Port Huron to look for Long-tailed Ducks ( Clangula hyemalis). Skies were gray with forecasts calling for intermittent rain/snow flurries and falling temperatures (currently 35ºF at 8 am); tonight temps would drop to near 0º w/ windchill. Driving I-94 East toward Port Huron we did run into some scattered showers, but nothing was freezing (yet). My plan was to check out Lighthouse Beach, the mouth of the St. Clair River, and Desmond's Landing a mile or two downstream. We arrived at Lighthouse Beach at about 8:45 am. I walked down to the beach as a massive freighter moved into the river from Lake St. Clair, and hundreds of Long-tailed Ducks were scattering in its wake. The lake was free of ice so birds were scattered. As I set up the scope on the beach I realized I had left my binoculars at home, so I'd have to rely on the Sony a1 + 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens as my bins. Despite only being 35ºF I was ab...