Hello everyonge, A beautiful day in this part of the world so I spent most of it checking out various areas. Ellison Bay is still iced over in most part except for many open spaces. Just RB Gulls on some ice there and A.Crows. At the El. Bay Towers I looked for the Osprey in vain, but there were my first Killdeers, Song Sparrow, Rusty Blackbirds, many Starlings - one imitating a Brown Thrasher or Catbird, and at least three pairs of E.Meadowlarks. Over at Water's End Rd. and Sand Bay Co Park there were several C.Geese, Many Buffleheads displaying, Lots of RB Gulls and a few Common Goldeneye pairs also displaying. One caught my attention - I thought it might be a stiff-tailed duck - have not seen a Ruddy in months so I watched it preen for a while: Brown on all of head going down its back, greyish around the throat when it raised to spread its wings, and heavily streaked black/white on wings. I was trying to make it into a Barrow's Goldeneye female, because its bill was mostly yellow and it was away from the Buffleheads and C. Goldeneyes for a longish time while it preened. Then a male C.G. came over for it and it swam away with it and started to dive, and I saw two others with it but not as marked. Three females to one male C.Goldeneye so I regret it must have been a Common female. I do not have a camera and they were too far away, so I went over to the Sand Bay park to get a better look. The sun was at the wrong angle however. Rowleys Bay had a mixed bunch - again Red Breasted Mergansers with a few Common, and plenty of Buffleheads and Goldeneye - too far to spot differences. Heaps of Gull, one Mute Swan and in the narrowing of the bay up the Mink River there were 8 Green-winged Teal - another nice surprise. Plenty of Scaup and Mergansers both Common and Red-breasted were in the distance. I ended up the afternoon going to Newport S.P. Beach area which had the same species but fewer, however many many rafts way out of waterfowl too far to ID. I missed Bluebirds along the roads, but did see several A. Tree Sparrows. Plenty of Robins, Grackles singing but only got R.W. Blackbirds on Isle View Rd. Europe Lake is ice free and had 6 male Bufflehead. Northport docks were quiet, as was Gills Rock with the usual Gulls, Ca Geese - no swallows yet that I have seen, neither TVs or Raptors. While I was loading my car to get away this a.m. I was treated to 40 Sandhill Cranes right over the house flying northwest all yodelling - such a great sound. Hilary Ford, Ellison Bay, Door County #################### You received this email because you are subscribed to the Wisconsin Birding Network (Wisbirdn). To UNSUBSCRIBE or SUBSCRIBE, use the Wisbirdn web interface at: //www.freelists.org/list/wisbirdn To set DIGEST or VACATION modes, use the Wisbirdn web interface at: //www.freelists.org/list/wisbirdn Visit Wisbirdn ARCHIVES at: //www.freelists.org/archives/wisbirdn