Waterfowl on the Move

Spending a few hours on a local lake Friday it was evident that the fall waterfowl migration is gaining momentum.  The number of pied-billed grebes has grown considerably in the past week.  Whereas I had been spotting just four pied-billed grebes during each visit the last few weeks on this visit as I trolled the length of the lake small groups of grebes were feeding along the entire shoreline.  Most were wary of the boat however this one allowed me to approach very closely.  

The surprise of the day came when I encountered a coot feeding near the shoreline.

 While coots are a common enough bird, finding them in my area is uncommon.  I could probably count all of my local coot sightings on one hand.  The best part of the sighting was that the coot wasn't the least concerned about my presence and continued to feed regardless of how close I approached.

By mid-day the calm morning had given way to windy conditions as dark clouds scuttled across the sky.  With the lake becoming increasingly choppy it was time to leave but not before snapping this shot of a canoe posed against a tapestry of autumn color. 

American Coot

The thousands of geese present at Blackwater can cause the casual viewer to miss many of the other inhabitants of the wetlands.  At first glance the geese may be all that you see but a closer look reveals many other species mixed in.  One of those species, the subject of today's post is the American Coot.

Although they look much like a duck and swim like a duck they aren't ducks; Coots are member of the rail family.  Unlike the other species of rail, the coot has lobed feet; an adaptation that makes them excellent swimmers. 

I could count the number of times I have encountered coots in my home area on the fingers of one hand so I was very pleased to be able to photograph this pair of American Coots foraging at Blackwater NWR.

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Friday’s Wetland Visit

With heavy brooding skies Friday morning I delayed my planned visit to a local wetland until mid day after the skies had cleared. Although mid day is not a good time to observe wildlife and certainly is not good lighting for wildlife photography any chance to spend time in the outdoors is better than staying home.

Poking around the wetlands I discovered a goose resting beside a feather lined nest. A moment after I noticed the goose it took off across the wetland honking loudly. Clicking away at the rapidly departing goose I could only think that I was glad that I was not beneath her

A pair of American Coots was also present. The Coot is a species not commonly seen in our locale. I remember seeing one as a teenager on the creek that borders our family farm making this only my second observation of this species in our area. Checking the National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds I found that virtually the entire US is included as either winter or summer range of the American Coot with the exception of a small strip up the Appalachian mountains, the tip of which covers my home turf.

During this visit I observed quite a bit of frog/toad spawn attached to the submerged vegetation around to water's edge. It appeared that this food source was what was attracting the waterfowl's attention.

Also observed on this visit was seven Ring-necked ducks, two pair of Hooded Mergansers, one male Mallard, and one Osprey.