Red-Breasted Merganser
With Lake Erie nearly 92% frozen over according to Great Lakes Coastal Forecasting System, there is limited open water for wading and diving birds to feed. However, thanks to the Dunkirk power-plant the waters near the harbor are warm enough to keep the ice at bay, enabling birds such as this gorgeous male Red-Breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator) to acquire fishy snacks. Out of the three species of mergansers common to the area, I personally think this one is my favorite. I have learned to identify which of the three mergansers is the red-breasted not only recognizing the orangy-red breast,...
Read MoreGreat Blue Herons Battling Wind
I very much enjoyed this photo of Great Blue Herons taken at Dunkirk Harbor yesterday by our friend Gale VerHague. As I told Gale I love it when you can “see” both the birds and the weather itself interacting in a photo. These long-legged waders were using all of those legs in battling very strong winds on Lake Erie associated with the passage of a cold front, keeping their backs to the incoming arctic air. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreDiving ducks
This past weekend I visited the extremely active Dunkirk Harbor in Dunkirk, New York. It is currently holding thousands of ducks and gulls because just about all of Lake Erie is frozen and this immediate area is kept open by the warm water from the outflow of the adjacent NRG Energy power plant. This particularly frigid year means even more birds than usual are concentrated in this pocket of heat allowing for some great birding and close-up views, especially while birds are feeding and active. I took a few of photos of diving ducks – can you identify any? The first two photos are of...
Read MoreLong-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis) by Scott Kruitbosch
There’s a reason for the name Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis), one that does not need any explanation. This was one of two individuals at Dunkirk Harbor (on Lake Erie, NY) today along with thousands of other waterfowl of a couple dozen species. Bald Eagles perched on the ice and flying overhead keep them all very attentive. It’s a spectacle.
Read MoreBonaparte’s Gulls in a feeding frenzy
Last week I ventured out to Lake Erie to survey a couple of sites in New York that are included in our Natural History Atlas: Dunkirk Harbor and Barcelona Harbor in Westfield (keep an eye on our Natural History Atlas page for many more to come!). I found a lot of great waterfowl, especially ducks and grebes, but the highlight was at least 850 Bonaparte’s Gulls (Chroicocephalus philadelphia) that put on a tremendous show for me as they fed in Barcelona Harbor. Among them was one Little Gull (Hydrocoloeus minutus), a rare but annual visitor to the east coast and Great Lakes from Eurasia...
Read More
