Tag Archives: Waterfowl

Cackling Geese and Red-throated Loon, January 22, 2023

Cackling and Canada Geese

Cackling and Canada Geese (click to see the larger version)

Late January is the slowest time of the year for birding at Montrose. Fall migration is over and spring migration won’t start for two or three weeks at the earliest. If you see 20 species in a day in the middle of winter you’re doing well. January 2023 hasn’t been any different than previous Januarys, except perhaps for the milder weather, but we have had a few interesting sightings. Two Cackling Geese are hanging out with the large wintering Canada Goose flock. Look for them wherever the Canadas are, like the harbor or at the north end of the Marovitz Golf Course. The smaller, shorter necked, and stubbier billed Cacklers really stand out among their larger cousins.

Red-throated Loons are regular in winter in small numbers along the Illinois Lake Michigan lakefront. On January 22 one was resting on the lake a few hundred yards offshore from the end of the fishing pier. Red-throated Loon is the default winter loon on Lake Michigan. Your best bet for seeing them at Montrose is from the fishing pier.

Photos of the Cackling Geese and Red-throated Loon are at my eBird checklist for the morning, URL below.

eBird Checklist
January 23, 2023

Cackling Goose, January 4, 2023

Cackling and Canada Geese

Cackling and Canada Geese (click to see the larger version)

A tried and true method for finding unusual birds is to look through flocks of common birds. Want to find an out of range California Gull? Sort through groups of Herring Gulls. How would you look for an Arctic Tern? By carefully scanning flocks of Common Terns. This same approach applies to geese. Rare geese tend to associate with the common geese of an area, and in much of Illinois Canada Goose is the expected goose. This uncommon Cackling Goose fell in with the local wintering Canada Geese at Montrose Harbor in January 2023. Cackling Goose is the toy version of its larger relative.

Kleptoparasitism – Stealing Does a Bird Good

Herring Gull with Red-breasted Mergansers

Waiting. Herring Gull with Red-breasted Mergansers. (click to see the larger version)

You may have noticed Herring Gulls hanging around groups of Red-breasted Mergansers at Montrose. The gulls are there for a good reason, at least for them – to steal fish the mergansers have caught. When a merganser dives and then surfaces with a fish, the Herring Gulls race in and try to snatch it. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t, but the gulls must succeed enough to justify the effort. This thieving behavior is called kleptoparasitism and is a common practice where mergansers and Herring Gulls occur together. It’s easier for the gulls to let the mergs do the hard work of finding food and try to steal it then to catch the fish themselves. No one ever said nature was fair or just.

Fun With Long-tailed Ducks, December 8, 2022

Long-tailed Ducks

Long-tailed Ducks (click to see the larger version)

On December 8 a group of six Long-tailed Ducks put on an air show worthy of the Blue Angels. The birds flew in a big circle low over the fishing pier, beach, and against the Chicago skyline. Most were strikingly plumaged adult males. Seeing this many Long-tailed Ducks so close to shore is unusual. More photos are at my eBird checklist for the morning, URL below.

eBird Checklist
December 8, 2022

Pale Male

Pale Male, the domesticated Mallard

Pale Male, the domesticated Mallard (click to see the larger version)

This is Pale Male (yes, I gave him that name), a domesticated male Mallard that’s lived in Montrose Harbor for a couple years. Since he can’t fly, someone probably dumped him at Montrose thinking he would be ok. Turns out that was a good call. Pale Male fit right in with the wild Mallards and hasn’t looked back. Pale Male is easy to pick out – look for a larger and paler Mallard with the local Mallards in Montrose Harbor.

Why So Big?

Human beings like to mess with nature (by mess with I mean manipulate it for our own needs). This messing can be for aesthetic reasons, like the cultivated flowers in your garden. It can also be for more practical reasons. We select some animals for certain traits like larger size so these animals produce more meat. The familiar Mallard has been the subject of human-directed selection for increased size. Nature plays with genes and so do people.

Harlequin Duck, October 21, 2022

Harlequin Duck and American Coots

Harlequin Duck and American Coots (click to see the larger version)

The female type Harlequin Duck seen at Foster Avenue a couple days ago wandered over to Montrose on October 21 (Foster Avenue is about a mile from Montrose). The bird hung out with the American Coots that have taken up residence at the east end of the beach and inside the fishing pier. It didn’t stay long and flew back west after a few minutes. Maybe it didn’t like keeping company with the pedestrian coots. Harlequin Ducks are rare but regular visitors to the inshore waters of Lake Michigan in late fall, winter, and early spring. This sighting is a reminder that waterfowl season is here and you should start checking Lake Michigan for scoters and other ducks.