[Bristol-Birds] Freeze disperses mergansers
- From: "Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Bristol-Birds" <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 14 Jan 2010 11:28:29 +0000
It appears that frozen lakes in Bristol have pushed the large Hooded Mergansers
wintering population out.
During the Bristol CBC (Dec 27), Rack Cross's party had 226 Hooded Mergansers
at Clear Creek Lake in Bristol Virginia (edge of Washington Co). .
My party had 17 at Middlebrook Lake in Bristol Tennessee, Sullivan Co.
On Wed (13 Jan), Clear Creek Lake appeared to be 70 to 80% frozen with 3 or 4
mergansers. Middlebrook Lake is an estimated 60% frozen with about 15 birds.
Other much smaller impoundments, fed by warm springs and streams and more swift
water are largely open with good numbers of Gadwall, American Wigeon, Mallard,
Ring-necked Ducks and maybe a dozen or less Hooded Mergansers.
We have seen this early exodus of mergansers in late January when their food
supply is apparently depleted. Also when prolonged freezes ice these
impoundments over. The ice problem occurs every few years.
The bulk of the Hooded Mergansers normally begin to leave about the middle to
third week of February and more sparse groups of a few birds linger or are seen
as transients until the second week of April.
Let's go birding . . .
Wallace Coffey
Bristol, TNLâÁ!Ò4DË!$Í5 ÐÀEú+4DÍý%?m§ÿðÃ(¢ ^r?¼Ó÷?éÝj¿Þ?·?²·
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