I got a much closer look at the American Coot at the marsh this morning. It was with a group of the hooded mergansers which flew away when I approached the viewing stand - but the coot flew toward the shore instead. It looked weird as it flew, with its feet pawing the air. Coots are not true ducks but belong to the same family as the rails.
The weather, no sightings of note, or Christmas projects have led to no recent postings, but today makes up for it, I hope. The majority of the marsh's surface was skimmed with ice this morning, but there was still ample open water for the waterfowl that were about. This lone American Coot was feeding along the edge of one of the long berms that reaches out into the marsh.
Today was the first sunny day in over a week, so was very welcome. The waters on the marsh were still being buffeted about by the strong winds, though. It's not often whitecaps are seen at the marsh. I was happily surprised to see five American Coots on the upper side of the marsh, busily feeding, oblivious to the rough conditions.
While scanning the deeper water this morning, I noticed these three birds who definitely looked different than familiar ducks. Their heads were bobbing back and forth as they moved through the water. When I got a closer look at the photo, I discovered they were American Coots, which belong to the rail family. I have seen Coots on the marsh before, but in the summer months, and only single birds. A common local name for this bird is Mud Hen.
