Location Quemahoning Reservoir, Hollsopple, PA
Like the Golden Eagle, this was another "target bird" that I hoped to get while living in Pennsylvania. It was actually pretty annoying that many years ago in 2003 I got both Hooded and Red-breasted (and had seen Hoodies almost every year since, *in abundance*) but still didn't have the "common" version of the merganser.
In this case, I used the Audubon field guide app. You can tell it to alert you when certain species are spotted and recorded by someone within a certain radius of your location. So I get the alert from the app, and coupled with other sightings reported on the PA Birders Facebook page, decided to try for it again.
My first try was on Nov. 19, two days before, and I may have seen them, but they were too far away. I did get to hear a loon yodeling for the first time, so it was worth the trip.
Anyway, on the 21st I went back to try again. While I was out, I realized that it was hunting season and that I might be in danger of getting shot. There were even signs in the parking areas that said everyone should be wearing hunter orange. Well, I didn't have any such clothing on me, but my emergency blanket was orange, so I draped it over me like a shawl. It wasn't the proper fluorescent orange, but I figured it was better than nothing.
I spotted a large number of ducks and geese about an hour into the trip as I circled around the reservoir. There were Canada Geese and Hooded Mergansers (naturally), and a group of birds that all looked the same was off to my right, closer to the shore. They looked like a good possibility, but they were too far away still. So I stalked up the shoreline, bit by bit, taking looks at them and carefully reading my guidebook. There were no males in the group, so I had to be sure they weren't female red-breasted.
I eventually got close enough and was able to get all the necessary field marks. There were eight of them, swimming about but staying together. I was very grateful that they didn't just up and fly away as a few Gadwalls had earlier.
Cornell: Common Merganser
Like the Golden Eagle, this was another "target bird" that I hoped to get while living in Pennsylvania. It was actually pretty annoying that many years ago in 2003 I got both Hooded and Red-breasted (and had seen Hoodies almost every year since, *in abundance*) but still didn't have the "common" version of the merganser.
In this case, I used the Audubon field guide app. You can tell it to alert you when certain species are spotted and recorded by someone within a certain radius of your location. So I get the alert from the app, and coupled with other sightings reported on the PA Birders Facebook page, decided to try for it again.
My first try was on Nov. 19, two days before, and I may have seen them, but they were too far away. I did get to hear a loon yodeling for the first time, so it was worth the trip.
Anyway, on the 21st I went back to try again. While I was out, I realized that it was hunting season and that I might be in danger of getting shot. There were even signs in the parking areas that said everyone should be wearing hunter orange. Well, I didn't have any such clothing on me, but my emergency blanket was orange, so I draped it over me like a shawl. It wasn't the proper fluorescent orange, but I figured it was better than nothing.
I spotted a large number of ducks and geese about an hour into the trip as I circled around the reservoir. There were Canada Geese and Hooded Mergansers (naturally), and a group of birds that all looked the same was off to my right, closer to the shore. They looked like a good possibility, but they were too far away still. So I stalked up the shoreline, bit by bit, taking looks at them and carefully reading my guidebook. There were no males in the group, so I had to be sure they weren't female red-breasted.
I eventually got close enough and was able to get all the necessary field marks. There were eight of them, swimming about but staying together. I was very grateful that they didn't just up and fly away as a few Gadwalls had earlier.
Cornell: Common Merganser
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