[va-richmond-general] "duck-ing" along the James

    Late this morning, I went duck "hunting" along the James River, from where 
the old Westham Bridge used to be to the Pony Pasture and the Wetlands (I did 
not walk around the Pony Pasture). I saw 10 or 11 different species of 
waterfowl, plus a scattering of other birds, in about 3 hours time. Here are 
the results:

Mallards - here and there
Buffleheads - everywhere
Ring-neck Ducks - nearly everywhere
Canvasbacks - one big raft near the Huguenot Flats (?) and a smattering of 
others here and there
Redheads - a few mixed in with the Canvasbacks, plus a few others among some of 
the other ducks
Lesser Scaup - one or two good-sized rafts, plus a few others scattered here 
and there - mostly with the Ring-necks.
GREATER SCAUP - one adult male, MAYBE. I was taking pictures the whole time, 
didn't have my scope and didn't look into the binoculars much. However, one 
picture I have shows two male Scaup that look slightly different. One seems to 
have a flat head while the other's head seems peaked. There was a slight 
breeze, but I don't think it was to their backs (they were facing upriver). 
When I process my pictures, I'll send that one out and you all can decide for 
yourselves. It wouldn't be the first time, though. I remember several years 
back on a JRP Winter Bird Count, we had one or two Greaters.
Pie-billed Grebe - three together and a few others here and there
Double-crested Cormorants - 3 (1 imm., 2 adults)
Mute Swans - 2
Canada Geese - everywhere
possible American Widgeon
no sign of the Goldeneye (or any other James Bond film, for that matter :-)


OTHERS:
Bald Eagle - 1 imm.
Song Sparrow - 2
Ring-billed Gulls - about 100 all sitting together on a little spit of land in 
the water right at the entrance to the Pony Pasture, plus a scattering of 
others here and there
Carolina Chickadees - heard
Carolina Wren - 1 or 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker - heard
Golden-crowned Kinglets - heard

GOOD DUCK-ING!
Michael Shapiro
Richmond

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