I saw a Ruddy Duck today!
I wasn’t even going to venture out today, because I wanted to give my “new” eyes some rest, and because it was pouring rain this morning. I was going to chalk it up as another feeder-yard day and leave it at that.
But, the sun came out, so I hastily grabbed all of my birding paraphernalia and set off to Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is approx. 2,800 acres and comprises cropland; wooded swamps; large, ephemeral wetlands; and various forms of edge habitat in between. The refuge was established in 1965 to provide optimal wintering habitat for the “dusky” Canada goose, which is a subspecies of the Canada Goose that nests only in the Willamette Valley.
I focused my birding today in the wetland areas. My list is as follows, followed by some photographs.
American Coot*
American Crow
American Wigeon*
Belted Kingfisher*
Bewick’s Wren*
Black-capped Chickadee
Canada Goose
Great Blue Heron
Green-winged Teal*
Mallard
Northern Flicker*
Northern Pintail*
Northern Shoveler*
Ring-Necked Duck
Ruddy Duck*
Tundra Swan*
Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge; January 5, 2018; photograph by Linda Burfitt
Bufflehead (male) and the backside of an American Wigeon (male); Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge: January 5, 2018; photograph by Linda Burfitt
Mallard and American Wigeon; Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge; January 8, 2018; photograph by Linda Burfitt
Tundra Swans (and a coot); Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge; January 5, 2018; photograph by Linda Burfitt
And, my feeder list from today and yesterday:
American Goldfinch
Bewick’s Wren*
Brown Creeper*
Dark-eyed Junco
Lesser Goldfinch*
Red-Breasted Nuthatch*
Song Sparrow
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Western Scrub-Jay
Dark-Eyed Junco; Salem, Oregon; January 5, 2018; photograph by Linda Burfitt
Lesser Goldfinches; Salem, Oregon; January 5, 2018; photograph by Linda Burfitt
And on that note, I need to stop staring at this screen and rest my eyes for the rest of the evening. Tally below.
*New Birds for 2018: 14 species
2018 Year-to-Date Talley: 41 species
Sauntering Birder 