Stopped by Lake Reba yesterday morning around 8 am. The spring
migration/cold weather resulted in a fair number of birds on the water.
Totals are below.
Canvasback- 4
Lesser/Greater Scaup- 1 sleeping female
Hooded Merganser- 1 pair
Gadwall- 15ish
A. Wigeon- 1 female
Mallard- 30
Mallard x Black Hybrid- 1
Northern Shoveler- 35, perhaps more
Canada Goose- 60- most seemed to be the maxima subspecies, I don't even
know if I have seen any smaller migrants in Richmond this year.
Also:
Pied-billed Grebe
A. Coot
There was a Common Loon present at the end of January, but I have not seen
it in about a week. I had a couple Redheads and Lesser Scaup on ponds the
day before. It has been a waterfowl poor year due to the lack of cold
weather. On aerial waterfowl surveys in southern Illinois they normally
record 55,000 Canada geese in late January, this year they recorded 5,500.
Not seen much in the way of winter raptors or passerines either.
