When I was a kid we called this duck an Old Squaw. Somewhere between now and then the name was changed to Long-tailed Duck. I'm not sure which duck is the most beautiful but this one must be high up on that list. This photo was taken on the St. Claire River by the Blue Water Bridge.

Long-tailed Duck

On Saturday we took a trip over to Port Huron to see the ducks and gulls congregated in open water at the start of the St. Claire River.  I love to watch the gulls effortlessly glide through the air. These Herring Gulls were just downstream from the Blue Water Bridge.

Herring Gull

Herring Gull

A local birder found this Northern Mockingbird yesterday south of town on Plains Road. Lucky for me it was still hanging out in the same area this morning. I think it is quite rare to see a Mockingbird in Michigan, especially this time of year.

Northern Mockingbird

Northern Mockingbird

We took another trip up to Maple River SGA on Saturday. On the way up we stopped by Potter Park and saw the Merlin. Then on to Moores River Park and saw the first Canvasbacks of the year. At Maple river we saw 11 Rough-legged Hawks and 13 Red-tailed Hawks along with another Merlin. Last year I struggled to find one Merlin and this year I have already seen four of them! Other pics from the day can be seen here.

Canvasback

Canvasback

Merlin

Merlin

My friend and I have been trying to catch this little guy sunning himself on his front stoop for 3 weeks. Third time's the charm! It worked today. This Screech Owl is a red morph which isn't seen as often as the more common grey morph.

Screech Owl (Red Morph)

... In a Rug. This mourning dove is all fluffed up ready for another cold night! 

Mourning Dove

Off and on this Winter I have heard the "cheer - cheer - cheer" call of the Carolina Wren when walking in the neighborhood. Last Friday it showed up at our feeder for the first time and I missed it. Today I came home for lunch and look who was there to greet me. I hope it continues to visit us now that it has found a nice place for food and water.

Carolina Wren  

Carolina Wren

Since it was so cold today I decided to drive around the countryside with Dexter to see what I could see. I was rewarded with one of my favorite birds, a Red-headed Woodpecker. A rare treat for this time of year.

Red-headed Woodpecker

This is the second time in the past week that we have had five different Woodpeckers in out back yard. Here is photo of a Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) that has just started to visit our feeders. All the pics can be seen here.

Norther Flicker (Yellow-shafted)

Yesterday I decided to brave the cold and take a hike in Legg Park. The birds must have been snuggled up in warmer places because I did not see many. There were Pileated, Hairy and Red-bellied Woodpeckers' and a few Chickadees'. I was almost back to the car when I saw these two Golden-crowned Kinglets'. It is so hard to get good pics with frozen fingers and the fact that they never stop moving. Here they are all puffed up like little cotton balls with wings. There are a few more pics here.

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Golden-crowned Kinglet

On Saturday Dexter and I went over to Legg Park to see if the Winter Wren was still there and I found it in the same area where it was two weeks ago. After that we went south  of Okemos and found a Merlin on Willoughby Road. I took a couple of  nice front on shots before he took off after a Coopers Hawk. I stayed where I was thinking he would return after the chase and was rewarded with some nice pics of him landing. We continued our drive south (always thinking I might see a Snowy Owl) and was rewarded with a Red-shouldered hawk on the corner of Harper and Wolverine Roads. This was the first time I have seen a Red-shouldered Hawk (lifer)! All in all it was a very good day for a drive in the Ingham County countryside.
The whole series of Merlin pics and other birds from the day can be seen here.

Merlin

Merlin before it took off after the Coopers Hawk.

Merlin 5

Merlin returns after the chase.

Red-shouldered Hawk

​Red-Shouldered Hawk

It was a nasty cold drizzly morning but my friend and I decided to drive over to Moores River Park and look for a Gadwall that had been seen there yesterday. The Peregrine Falcon was present sitting atop the Eckert Power Plant but no Gadwall. We were almost back to the car when my friend pointed at a single duck in the river. Sure enough it was a female Gadwall. As I was setting up for a shot she took off up river, made a u-turn and headed back toward us. Sometimes you just get lucky.

Gadwall

Here is another common bird that is quite beautiful when seen up close. This one was stretched out to his full height as if to say "look at me, I am very handsome".

House Finch

Male House Finch