During a swing along the lake yesterday I spotted a pair of hooded mergansers at Shelburne Town Beach, male with full breeding "hood", along with 4-6 red-breasted mergansers, black ducks, mallards. At Charlotte Town Beach, great sight of lone black bellied plover working the shore just to the left of the steps. On to Dead Creek for more wonderful goose actvity; shared same with Peter Manship who shot some beautiful photos. We were both intrigued with the number of adult and juvenile "dark morph" snow geese. We could even spot them in the air as they flew. Many variations of the morphs were evident; don't remember as many in previous years; do they vary in numbers from year to year or is this an unusual number this year? Also saw the two coots and rusty blackbirds thanks to Bruce MacPherson. Nancy Goodrich, Shelburne