Afternoon errands yielded at least 5 blue winged teal (3m, 2f) vocalizing, plus a pair of wood ducks in the same area. _____ From: Janice Frye [mailto:jjfdc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] Sent: Wednesday, April 15, 2009 11:45 AM To: 'va-richmond-general@xxxxxxxxxxxxx'; 'va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx' Subject: Riverside Dr., James River Park On the way to drop off recycling this morning I found a beautiful male blue-winged teal preening near 7751 Riverside, and there was a PB grebe upriver from him. On the return trip both were not seen, but there was a pair of Common mergansers on a rock at the beginning of Pony Pasture Rapids and another female flying around near them. I saw COMEs 4/5 last year not far upriver, but is this a little late? Swallows were out there along with what appeared to be Bonaparte's gulls in breeding plumage. It was gray and drizzling, so all were a pleasant surprise. Yesterday afternoon at the Wetlands the gulls appeared to be catching whatever the swallows and purple martins were eating above the surface of the river. Jan Richmond