While performing checks on the colonial nesting birds in Buffalo harbor, Connie Adams and Jackie Walters found and photographed a female COMMON EIDER yesterday (Wednesday). I saw the photographs and it is clearly a Common Eider. The duck was on the spit at the north end of Donnelly's pier with Herring Gulls. The spit is called Horseshoe Reef on Google Maps. Other than by boat, the spit is best observed from the top of the tower at the north end of Erie Basin Marina with a spotting scope (could also be scoped less advantageously from ground level). This is the same location where birders viewed the Brown Booby from a few years ago.
Instead of swimming away from the observers, the eider flew off of the spit, over the breakwall, and out toward the lake. Other places to check for it would be accessible from Fuhrman Blvd, to the south of this location, and LaSalle Park and the West Side Rowing Club, to the north. Good luck to anyone who tries for it and please post about your success or lack thereof. Good birding! Willie ------------------ Willie D'Anna Betsy Potter Wilson, NY dannapotterATroadrunner.com Betsy's website: http://www.betsypottersart.com/ Willie's photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/107683885@N07/ -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
