[TN-Bird] Red-breasted Merganser - Catoosa Co.

From: David Hollie <featherbrain1223@xxxxxxxxx>
To: GABO-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Thu, 28 May 2009 07:12:06 -0400
While out walking around the house yesterday (5/27/09) in the late morning
after the rain, I decided to go down to our pond to look for some
dragonflies. We have two ponds and normally I don't go down to the one
further away from the house, but I just felt like I should. Boy, was I in
for a surprise! I noticed there was a duck in the pond (not too unusual, we
get a lot of Mallards/Wood Ducks in the spring) making a hoarse
grunting/quacking call. When I looked closer I realized it wasn't a funny
sounding Mallard, but a merganser! My first impression was a female Hooded
as that would be the expected merganser right now, but when I looked closer
I realized it was a Red-breasted! Yard bird #165! This pond is very small
and definitely not a place where I would expect to find a Red-breasted
Merganser. I know we had some pretty severe thunderstorms on Monday night,
for all I know the bird could have been knocked down then, as this was my
first time down to that pond since then. We do drive by the pond on our way
out, but she is pretty secretive and holds very still along the shore or
dives when I have approached her. I'm not sure on the condition of the bird
as far as health goes. When our dog decided to have some "fun" with her, she
did run across the water flapping her wings and got slight liftoff. She
seems ok mentally, as whatever side of the pond I'm on, she moves exactly
opposite of me.  This morning (5/28/09) I went and checked the pond (briefly
and from a distance) and she is still present as of 6:45. I plan to leave
her alone today, only checking a few times from a distance (without our dog,
he seems to find it very entertaining to chase a duck around the pond and is
very confused when she dives and turns up on the other side of the pond.
Luckily after that first instance with our dog I either lock him up or leash
him when I check on her).
I don't know the specific diet of a RBME, but will she be ok on a diet of
pond fish? That pond is full of fish of all sizes.
According to the Annotated Checklist of Georgia Birds, the late date for the
Mountain Region is April 30! This is nearly a whole month later. I don't
know hog significant that is, but I know on the coast they coast they can
stay well into the summer, maybe she got a little lost?
Good Birding!

-- 

David Hollie
Ringgold, GA
Catoosa Co.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/featherbrain1223/


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[TN-Bird] Red-breasted Merganser - Catoosa Co.

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