Rideau Tennis Club

November 13, 2011 12:00 pm

Determined to get better photos of the Barrow's Goldeneye, we returned to the river, this time on the east side.

We were disappointed to find no goldeneyes below the rapids, and also by the tall grass which obscured our view.  I did spot the two male Hooded Mergansers, so we headed downstream to find an unobscured view.  We were fortunate that the two mergansers were just coming along as we broke into the open.  A single female Lesser Scaup drifted in close at the same spot.

With no goldeneyes to be found, I had a hunch they were up by the Queensway, so off we went.  On the way, Barbara heard and then spotted a White-breasted Nuthatch.  Sure enough, the small group of goldeneyes were right by the bridge, and flushed downstream before we could scope them.  However, they settled way out on the river and we saw that the Barrow's Goldeneye was not among them.  An immature male Common Merganser was mistaken for a hybrid.