Red-necked Birding...

Tweet Winter and Spring continue to battle it out.  This winter just doesn't seem to want to end anytime soon.  As I write this post, it is raining and 38°.  It is supposed to end as snow, and then be close to 70° Monday. But despite this crazy weather, it is officially Spring and the birds definitely know it!

This colder than average winter has been one to remember birding wise here in SW Ohio.  After the invasion of northern ducks, came an invasion of Red-necked Grebes.  My last post has the closest shot and view of one that I have ever had...  Until this invasion.

There has been as many as 20 or so Red-necked Grebes reported at one time on East Fork Lake.  This is an unprecedented number for the whole SW Ohio area, let alone just one location.  And the odd thing is, they are staying around and many are in full breeding plumage.  Some males are even displaying.  Again, I don't know what this means in the big picture, but I choose to just enjoy them.

I have never seen one in breeding plumage before, so when I spotted a few close to the shore, I watched them for a while and noticed that many were very close to breeding plumage.

Here is a sight that you just don't see here in SW Ohio.

3 Red-necked Grebes in one view.  And there were many more.  

Haven't never seen them up close, and only a handful of times before this day, I chose to just watch them.  They were feeding on crayfish and vocalizing with a clucking sound.  

Looks like a dinosaur!

Here, I almost thought that one was preening the other, but that is not the case.  The one in the back was playing with a feather in the water.

I often wondered if I would be able to tell apart a Horned Grebe and a Red-necked Grebe at a distance, having only seen Red-neckeds a few distant times.  After this day, I don't think that will be a problem!

A Horned Grebe came by for nice comparison views.  

As you can see, there is a considerable difference in shape and size.  The Horned Grebe was not yet in breeding plumage.  The Horneds were feeding on fish.  The Red-neckeds seemed uninterested.  They stuck to crayfish, even moving rocks underwater near shore.  

There are other birds around besides the grebes, believe it or not.  The ducks continue to show in good numbers.  This time of year is the best time to get good looks at breeding plumage ducks.  They usually only have one thing on their minds.  Here are some species that I have been seeing pretty close (in breeding plumage).

Northern Shoveler Male

Green-winged Teal Male

Pair of Blue-winged Teal

Male Ruddy Duck 

Yeah, I love breeding plumage ducks.  But Spring is here and other birds are getting into Spring as well.  I was very surprised to see this male American Kestrel watching me near a nesting box.  I have never seen anything but starlings in it, but I didn't see a female, so it is doubtful.  

He was giving me the eye.

And then, out of nowhere, he started screaming at me!

Hope for Spring and keep watching birds.  The warblers will be here soon!

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From long tails to long bills...

Tweet The winter that everyone wishes would just go away continues to just keep on being mean.  As I write this post, another major winter storm is in progress.  It is 16° F and snowing with a coating of ice on everything.

But a "bad" winter isn't all bad.  The unusual cold has caused waters up north to freeze and stay frozen.  Open water has been hard to find down here SW Ohio.  East Fork froze almost completely and even the Ohio River froze over for a brief period.  The ice has since began to recede and disappear, however East Fork remains half frozen, while the river is thawed.  

This has caused a good number of ducks that are usually considered rare for this area down here in amazing numbers.  While I already blogged about the large number of White-winged Scoters being seen, they continue to add up.  I don't ever recall seeing so many in so many different places since I have started birding.  Another duck that I haven't seen much in my years birding is a the Long-tailed Duck.  Such a gorgeous bird, I don't remember ever seeing a male in breeding plumage.  Reports of multiple birds in multiple locations along the Ohio River had me pumped up.  I was hoping to see a nice looking male close up.  Well, I got that opportunity!

Look at that tail!  Many of the ones I have seen has had its tail broke off.  A nice looking duck for sure!

The duck was not by itself and was very close to shore.  It later joined up with another flock of ducks.  

Any long time birder in the Cincinnati area would note that you just don't see this down here!  This year is off the hook.  Here is a closeup of a pair of ducks where just seeing one species would be a very good day birding in SW Ohio, but this??!!

I'll take it!

Here are some more pictures of such a handsome duck.

               

With such a handsome duck to watch, it is hard to take your eyes off of him.  But he isn't the only duck around.  The river has been hopping with all kinds of ducks and mergansers.  

Common Mergansers everywhere.  Not always easy to find around here.

And of course this Motley Crew, Red-breasted Mergansers.  Love the hair do.

And lots of different species of ducks including, Redheads, both scaup, Canvasback, Bufflehead, Ring-necked.

You can notice sun in these pictures.  We were granted a very brief preview of Spring by mother nature, and it was much appreciated by me and the birds.  Love to watch ducks get funky while doing their courtship rituals!

Love Green-winged Teal.  Their sounds are odd for a duck.  I don't see them much around here, so they were welcome.  So gorgeous!

And of course, so are the other ducks ---->

                       

With all this duck action, it is hard to remember that there is other birds to be seen.  I noticed the Medahl Dam Peregrine Falcon chowing down while watching the ducks and gulls.

As the temperatures gradually warmed, the birds began singing more and more.  This male Horned Lark was just singing away at the beach at East Fork recently.   

This Barred Owl was out soaking up the sun, something that sounds nice right about now.  

But it just ins't Spring without the sound of one bird in particular.  That one bird is my "Spring bird".  That bird is the American Woodcock.  With the weather, I really wasn't expected to see any during a short warm spell that we had recently.  But, just after dark, I heard the sound.  And it begins...   Peent!  It is spring!

               

Spring migration has already begun, as it is triggered by the days getting longer rather then the temperatures.  

Here is a Red-necked Grebe that has been hanging around the south beach at East Fork for a couple of days.  This is the best look yet I have of this species.  Would be nice to see in breeding plumage.

With this crazy weather, I look forward to what it may bring.  I try to ignore the implications of this odd weather, and just focus on what good birds may show up as a result.  Keep birding and keep warm! Tweet