The Long-tailed Duck on L. Vadnais remained on the N/NE portion of the water as of 2:30 PM, among a mixed flock of predominantly Golden-eyes. It was doing as much preening and paddling as diving, which was fortunate. Its signature tail was held fairly close, and almost parallel, to the water, and because of its dark color, wasn't all that easy to see without a scope. The preening action helped to reveal the tail, and also drew attention to the bright white of much of the rest of the plumage. For the most part, the flocks were hugging the east side of the lake, so after initial looks from the causeway road, I walked the dirt road which borders that shore. Walking south caused backlight issues, but the return walk north posed no lighting problems, and afforded closer looks (also looks at a Red-tailed Hawk, and a close encounter with a Pileated Woodpecker.) Other ducks such as the Redhead were also noted in the flocks, but I didn't find any Wigeon. Linda Whyte
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