Allen, Ted,
 
Thanks for a great post.  If you don't mind, do you have any tips for  an 
amateur.  I'm thinking, in particular, how to pick out a female Barrows  from a 
flock of 2000 other Goldeneyes!   Seems a daunting  task.   Do you have a 
method or ascribe this to luck, or something  else?   Despite many visits I've yet 
to pick out that white-fronted  goose in SB and hope to improve my (where's 
Waldo) technique! 
 
As for sightings, I also visited Shelburne Bay today (approximately 3-4  pm). 
  Sighted the following:
 
Mallards (100+)
Common Goldeneye  (~10)
Am. Black Ducks  (5)
Ring-billed Gulls (40+)
Bald Eagle (1)
Canada Geese (75)
 
The eagle was particularly majestic, swooping down to pick up (?) from the  
ice and water several times, circle over the rocky outcropping at the fishing  
access several times and generally putting on a spectacular show.
 
About 4 pm, flock after flock of Canadas came down the bay and passed  
overhead, many hundreds, none stopping in the bay.   They seemed to be  headed 
southeast, at low altitude.    Headed to Shelburne Pond,  perhaps?
 
Terry
 
 
 
In a message dated 1/22/2006 9:05:50 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
[log in to unmask] writes:

Accompanied by Ted Murin, some interesting water birds observed today  (22 
January)

Shelburne Bay:
1 Pied-billed Grebe
1 Snow  Goose
1 White-fronted Goose
1 Cackling Goose

Crown Point Bridge  (visible from VT, but birds were actually in NY and 
mostly identified from  the NY side):
2000-3000 Common Goldeneye
1 (female) Barrow's  Goldeneye
2 White-winged Scoter
1 Long-tailed Duck
28 Redhead
2  Canvasback
400-500 scaup (~70% greater, 30% lesser)
> 100 Common  Merganser

Allan



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Allan  M. Strong
University of Vermont
The Rubenstein School of Environment and  Natural Resources
347 Aiken Center
Burlington, VT  05405
802-656-2910
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