Along about noon, I made a quick trip to the pier. A happy surprise awaited me when I came across several ducks swimming near the pier. At first, I had thoughts that my friends, the Hooded Mergansers, had returned but once I was near, I could tell that was not the case. These birds were different. Ok, so maybe a different group had drifted in for a stay. Perhaps, these were not mergansers at all. Perhaps, this was wishful thinking on my part.
After photographing the birds while trying to protect the camera from the drizzly rain, I headed back to the Little Bayou House with pictures that I hoped were clear enough for an identification. It was disappointing to find that the photographs were not clear due to the mist. Still, I had hopes. After looking at dozens of pictures, a decision was made that perhaps I had some Common Mergansers as guests on the Bayou. Well, that idea was short lived as it seems that we are out of their range even during migration. Searching a bit more. I decided that maybe these are Red-breasted Mergansers! That would be a first for us! They sure resembled the Red-breasted Mergansers. Maybe some took a swing our way during their migration flight and opted to stay on the Bayou for a bit. I can hope, right?
Even at this late of hour, I am convinced that my birds may just have been a bit off course of their usual path. Perhaps tomorrow, I can get better photographs. My curiosity is nagging at me! How nice would it be to have some new faces among the crowd??
