Duck Waddle 2

A couple of unusual waterfowl were found New Year's Day on the Christmas Bird Count held in Fish Creek Provincial Park. A Snow Goose was found with a flock of Canada Geese on the Bow River and a Long-tailed Duck was located further downstream. Both species can be difficult to find within the city limits and I decided to try to find them on Sunday. It would also be an incentive to get on the bike for the first time in 2010 and allow me to test some new winter clothes and equipment that I received over the holidays.

The temperature was a frosty -15°C when I left mid-morning headed towards the bike path and Fish Creek Provincial Park. The pogies (or bike mitts), that I purchased as an early Christmas gift for myself, worked as promised. They act like oversized mittens that are placed over the handlebars, protecting your hands from the wind and cold, and allowing you to wear lighter, less bulky gloves. It had been almost a month since I was last on my bike and it became readily apparent once I started pedaling, the extra weight from my optics and additional winter clothes not helping either.

The first destination was Mallard Point, a 25 minute ride from my house, where the Snow Goose had been found. I quickly located the goose along the river, south of the pedestrian bridge. It was resting in amongst a large flock of Canada Geese on an ice shelf along Poplar Island. When I moved closer to get a better look it became obvious there were three Snow Geese in the flock, an adult and two immatures. An American Robin drinking and bathing on the edge of the ice was a nice bonus.

After loading the scope and tripod back onto the bike rack it was off to Hull's Wood, a 15 minute ride further south along the pathway. One to three Long-tailed Ducks have wintered on the Bow River the past several years. They normally spend the winter in the vicinity of Hull's Wood but move up and down the river, making it difficult to pinpoint where they will be on any given day. After a scan of the river proved fruitless it was apparent that the Long-tailed Duck was elsewhere today. I headed south along the river towards the Highway 22X bridge hoping that I might come across the duck in one of the many goldeneye flocks.

Scanning south of the bridge I was surprised to find a pair of swans with three young in with some Canada Geese. My hunch that they were Trumpeter Swans proved correct once I moved closer and got better looks through the scope. I was able to take a couple of mediocre photos with my point-and-shoot camera before the batteries succumbed to the cold. I took that as a sign that I should be heading back home before I also succumbed. The swans were the last of six new species for the BIGBY found over the course of the day.