An eventful ending to 2013 came when Cedar Waxwings showed up in our backyard on December 31st, giving us an even 200 species for the year. The first bird seen in 2014 by Joan was a stunning male Painted Bunting, while Dan's first bird seen was a sweet Carolina Wren.
Our first outing of the year came on January 2nd. Acting on a tip (a "rare bird" alert), we drove south to Cape Coral in Lee County and found a male Eurasian Wigeon. He was swimming in a pond with other ducks, exactly where he was reported to be. It sure would be neat if that happened more often. He is our first new "life bird" of 2014. Click on this link to see a short video of him swimming with the other ducks -----> http://youtu.be/nWglBqGxD9A
The Eurasian Wigeon is a medium-sized duck from Europe and Asia, hence the name. They are rare visitors to the United States. When they appear in the U.S., it is usually along either coastline, however, individual birds have appeared in nearly every state. Eurasian Wigeons are around 19 inches in length, weigh about 1.5 pounds and have a wingspan of close to 30 inches. Males have a reddish-brown head with a buffy forehead. Their bill (male and female) is pale bluish-gray with a small dark tip. He has a pale gray back and flanks, a white hip patch and a pinkish breast. The female has a warm-brown to grayish-brown head, breast and flanks, with a reddish-brown back. Juveniles are similar to adult females, but duller.
This year is off to a great start. Enjoy these photos of our newest feathered friend and our 215th life bird, the Eurasian Wigeon.....tweet.....tweet!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasian_Wigeon
No comments:
Post a Comment