Cold Morning - 30 Jan 2010

A very cold morning in Wyandotte w/ temps hovering just above zero. I ran down to the river and found the group of Mallard hanging around the boat launch waiting for handouts. Among them were a few American Black Ducks that provided a nice study in plumage differences relative to Mallards.

The only open water in the iced-over Detroit River held more Mallard. A single drake Wood Duck with a large drop of water frozen to its bill was among them.

Wyandotte Boat Launch, Wayne, Michigan, US
Jan 30, 2010 8:00 AM - 8:20 AM
Protocol: Traveling
0.1 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Temps near zero
3 species

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)  1
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  8
American Black Duck (Anas rubripes)  2

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S165426964

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)

Around noon, Robin and I headed up to Frankenmuth to meet w/ niece Leah and her friends at Snowfest. We drove through Gottfredson and Vreeland Rds and found a light-phase Rough-legged Hawk perched in a severely-backlit tree. Unable to get an acceptable photograph I had to settle for watching it hover briefly in the field to my left before disappearing to the west. This same bird was observed by Cathy Carroll.

Gottfredson Rd. at Vreeland Rd., Washtenaw, Michigan, US
Jan 30, 2010 1:00 PM - 1:15 PM
Protocol: Traveling
0.2 mile(s)
1 species

Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus)  1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S165427155

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)