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Ducks on the St. Clair River
Tuesday, February 11, 2003
The obvious ones in numbers are Canvasback, Redhead and Common Goldeneye. Some of the less common ones have been White-winged Scoter, Surf Scoter, and Long-tailed. In the dabbler group there has been American Wigeon, Northern Pintail, Wood Duck and Gadwall.
A few Gadwall are seen almost every winter and are usually present somewhere from Cathcart Park to Seager Park. One has been frequenting Fawn Island with the mallards. The Wigeon is quite rare as a wintering duck, but I saw one male on January 25 at Terra outfall. Pintail are seen at least once every winter, and I had one male on February 6 at Fawn Island.
The Long-tailed duck is a very uncommon one for the St. Clair River. I had only seen one previously on the river back in 1994. I have seen them at Sarnia though. This winter there have been two – a first winter male, and an adult male. The adult male is probably the prettiest duck you would ever want to observe. It has a unique combination of black and white on its body and head, and the bill has some bubble gum pink on it. The tail is extremely long and thin, hence its name.
I enjoy scanning the rafts of ducks looking for something unique. That is how I find these uncommon ones. The scene changes daily due to weather and ice conditions, so you have to look around.
On Sunday Feb. 2, Lambton Wildlife of Sarnia had an outing for ducks. Although I was not part of the group, I later caught up with them because I had found some interesting species. At Marshy Creek Park in front of Riverview School, I caught sight of a Red-necked Grebe. Although it is not a duck and not even a "waterfowl", it is extremely noteworthy. These grebes are uncommon in Ontario to begin with. To see one in winter is even more exciting. I had never seen one before on the St. Clair River, nor heard of any reports. Also at this location were a female Wood Duck, White-winged Scoter, and the first winter Long-tailed Duck. (The Wood Duck is an excellent winter bird in itself, and the first I had seen this winter).
I knew the LWI group would want to see these species, so I headed upriver and managed to track them down at Cathcart Park. We came back to the location and the subject species were still there. We had very good looks until a Coast Guard Vessel came along and flushed up all the birds.
At the time of this writing, I am still making trips out to the river to observe the spectacle of winter ducks. The St. Clair River is an important wintering location for ducks, and is a good spot for the birdwatcher to study these waterfowl.
