Day 290: October 16th- Gadwalls and Shovelers

Sunny and brisk with a gusty NW wind

       

       One of the keys to a successful bird photography outing is to have a target in mind.  It doesn’t always work out that way, but if you can hone in on a target species and an appropriate habitat, you will increase your chances of getting the shot you want.  Usually, if it does work out, there tends to be a little extra gravy in the form of another desirable shot that you kind of blunder into.

       Well, one of my birding buds informed me that the ducks were starting to show up in Rockland Lake recently.  Sharon and I had checked that site a few weeks ago and had some nice resident Wood ducks, but we were hoping to get some of the migrants moving through.  So, with those environs and Gadwalls in mind, I headed south.  An alternative motive for visiting the lake was the fact that I strained my back on Saturday and was not all that ambulatory today.  Rockland Lake offers some pretty good shooting from the car, so……

       The plan worked like a charm,  As I drove up to the little pond opposite Parking Lot #1, I noticed there were indeed ducks present.  To my surprise, Northern shovelers were present, albeit at some distance.  Still, I was able to brace the camera against the window sill and capture an image of the bird in his early fall plumage.  I mentioned in the blog yesterday that we found mallards all in fine alternative (breeding) plumage down at Iona Marsh.  Well, many of the dabblers tend to get their best fineries in order before the holidays.  Shovelers are a little tardy in that regard, however, and don’t generally get beyond the basic plumage until well into winter. Still, it is a fine looking bird.

       But wait, there’s more!  Fortunately, the Gadwall does not wait until winter to adorn his finest outfit, and here was a male in some of the most striking plumage I’ve seen in some time.  It’s not that the Gadwall is brightly hued.  Actually, it the contrast of his patterned gray body, light chestnut wings, black rump and brilliant white speculum which make him so attractive.  As nice as their plumage is, it belies the nasty habit of waiting around for a diving duck of a different species to surface and then snatching the morsel form its target’s bill. 

       Each day now brings in new and exciting migrants and winter residents to the Hudson Valley.  The evolution of the local avian assemblage is just one more aspect of what makes this pastime of birding so enriching and so interesting.