Friday Jan 23, I birded the Watauga River north of Elizabethton. Take the Watauge Road west and turn right onto Sycamore Shoals Drive which runs along side the river. I found 3 female Goldeneye, 1 male Pintail, a pair of Hooded Mergansers and several Mallards. Continuing further on Shoals Drive I found a flock of at least 100 Canada Geese and 1 Ross's Goose. This is probably the same flock that was around the Great Lakes Pond before it froze over. Mingled in with all the Canadas was one adult sized Canada with a mottled white head, but it was a Canada with the cheek patch and every other Canada field mark. Further west along the Watauga River where it runs into the upper part of Boone Lake at Austin Springs, I found 1 female Goldeneye, 8 Gadwall, 15 Bufflehead and several Mallards. Glen Eller Fall Branch