With a free winter day in hand, what better thing to do and enjoy the delights of waterfowl! And I took my quest to eight of the ponds and lakes in the western and northern parts of my (expansive) home town. I'll visit the south and east later this weekend. I'll spare readers the names of the sites, although Lake Crabtree is large enough to show up on many large-scale maps. Results were uneven, but in the course of the day I spotted Gadwall, Hooded Mergansers, Northern Shovelers, Ring Neck Ducks, Mallards, Ruddy Ducks, Pied Billed Grebes (one shown), American Widgeon, Great Blue Herons, Double Crested Cormorants---lots of Cormorants!, Bufflehead Ducks, and, of course, the ubiquitous Canada Geese. Not too bad for a Piedmont suburb on a warm (~60F) day with everyone and his brother and dog out for a walk, run or whatever. Happily, I had my trusty spotting scope with me and I was able to enjoy the ducks that chose to stay well clear of the hordes. I'm looking forward to more New Years encounters soon!
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