Hi all,
I had briefly posted notification of seeing the Tufted Duck at Ankeny
Pintail Marsh today at 11:30. I first zeroed in on the bird as it dove
repeatedly near the west edge of the water in close company with 2 American
Coots. I and another birder, Shane Pruett (sp?), were sure we were looking
at the Tufted Duck due to its dark coloring and dark bill that really made
it stand out as different than nearby scaup. No Ring-billed Ducks were in
the vicinity. We couldn't make out the tuft at that distance though. As we
were about to call it good, an eagle flew over and spooked the ducks
causing a mixed group of L Scaup, Bufflehead, and Ruddy Ducks to fly and
land almost directly north of the parking area. Amazingly, the Tufted Duck
was among them. I was able to get some photos that really show the tuft as
the group almost immediately started swimming back to the west so the
Tufted was not diving. Unbelievably good fortune!!
See my Flickr album here: https://flic.kr/s/aHskT63K2o
Happy birding all,
Pam Otley
