At about 1:15 p.m. today (January 10) I found an immature male Tufted Duck just north of Hillman Marsh, along the Lake Erie shoreline.
After having lunch in Wheatley with Richard Carr --- Richard where did you go?! --- I drove the lakeshore going south from Wheatley Harbour. Just north of Hillman Marsh I noticed a flock of scaup feeding close to shore, just where the road passes through a wooded section. The location is opposite green house sign #287. Viewing through the trees might be difficult, and if you get out of your car the whole flock might flush (I was looking from my car with window-mounted telescope). Better viewing could be had at green house sign #298, if you want to ask the owner's permission to stand on their property. If the flock drifts a bit further south they will be see-able from the small parking lot at NE Hillman Beach, or by walking just a bit east to the end of the road here (Mersea Road 2). The bird might be extremely difficult to re-locate since it is a first-winter male. It has the following features: -- very short tuft (more like a big bump on top of its head) -- blackish to black back (lacking obvious vermiculations) -- white flanks (although there is still a lot of duskiness) -- the wavy "S" separation between black back and white sides (more straight in scaup) Be aware that the flock also contains several Lesser Scaup. Remarkably I was able to obtain several diagnostic photographs, and these with documentation will be sent to the Ontario Bird Records Committee. This is the third record of Tufted Duck for the Point Pelee Birding Area, the previous two were: March 28, 1993: west side of Tip March 10, 2002: Lake Erie at NE Hillman Marsh (basically the same area as today's sighting). Alan Wormington, Leamington ____________________________________________________________ NetZero now offers 4G mobile broadband. Sign up now. http://www.netzero.net/?refcd=NZINTISP0512T4GOUT1 _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to [email protected] For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
