I have what I am guessing to be a pair of immature or non-breeding plumage Common Goldeneye on our pond. It's a very small pond, more of a springfed watering hole that dries up in the summer. They've been alternating their visits between our little pond and the neighbors' large pond lower on the hill. I tried to get pix but they are very skittish and I don't have a way to sneak up on them. When he sees me, the male crawls put of the water up the bank to hide under a honeysuckle and calls the female with light peeps to join him. The female is an undistinguishable brown. The male is dark colored with a large white spot in the cheek area or so, and also has at least one prominent white band in the shoulder area of his wing. I was working in the garden which is further up the hill above the pond this afternoon and spooked them which made them fly off. They made the distinct whistling sound. I am in the hills of Candor which I think is OOB but found their appearance noteworthy. That pond doesn't see a lot of feathery visitors.
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