[wisb] Milwaukee Lakefront, 2/1/12 - Long-tailed Duck
- From: "B.G. Sloan" <bgsloan2@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: wisbirdn <wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2012 13:09:57 -0800 (PST)
I found a Long-tailed Duck today in the harbor south of Milwaukee's Discovery
World. I assumed it was a female until I got home and looked at my field
guides. It was a sort of a drab bird, but the markings were more like a male's
than a female's. And its bill was colored like a male's: dark at the base, then
yellowish, then a dark nail at the end. But, for the life of me, I don't
remember seeing a long tail (to be honest, I didn't really study the tail as I
thought it was female). Could it be a first year male changing into adult male
plumage?
I first saw it at 11:10AM. There is a boat dock attached to the south side of
Discovery World. The bird was about 30 feet south of the west end of this dock.
I then went to Lakeshore State Park.
It was noon by the time I got back to Discovery World. Couldn't find the duck.
I slowly walked east along the wooden catwalk on Discovery World. I was about
ready to give up when I noticed a swirl in the water in the space between the
boat dock and the wall of Discovery World. Didn't think anything of it until I
saw the duck pop up on the harbor side of the dock. This was at the eastern end
of the dock.
I went into Discovery World for a quick Wisconsin lunch (brat and a beer). I
left at 12:40PM. When I walked out the front door I looked to my left and the
bird was in pretty much the same location as when I first saw it 90 minutes
earlier.
Bernie Sloan
Milwaukee
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- » [wisb] Milwaukee Lakefront, 2/1/12 - Long-tailed Duck - B.G. Sloan
