Jordan Lake

["Sandy Cash" <scash@mindspring.com>]

Hi all,

I finally got a few moments to do a spot of birding, so I headed down to
Jordan Lake.  I stopped at Seaforth, walked down to the shore and setup my
scope, and there right in front was a beautiful drake Common Goldeneye -
which was nice, considering I have gone there looking almost every time
someone has reported one, and I'd struck out every time until now.  This was
in the same place that others have reported, just to the west of the main
entrance road, just south of the US 64 causeway.

FYI, as long as the park is closed for the Winter, you can use the
"employees only" parking spaces at the entrance booth - a ranger requested I
park there instead of the shoulder, so I am quite confident of this :-).

As I was walking out, I happened to look up and see an adult (or possibly a
4th year bird) Bald Eagle soaring, my first of the year.  There must have
been lots of good thermals, as the sky was pretty thick with Redtails as
well.  The water was *thick* with Pied-billed Grebes - easily the most I've
ever seen in one raft.  Every time I'd see a group, I'd ask myself, "hrm,
what kinds of ducks are these going to be", then I'd scope them out and find
they were more grebes.

The only other waterfowl were loads of DC Cormorants, a pair of Bufflehead,
and a few Hooded Mergansers.  Both Ring-billed and Bonaparte's Gulls were
about as well.

Happy Birding,

-Sandy

--
Sandy Cash
Durham, NC
scash@mindspring.com