Lake Takanassee 12/5--Hen Eurasian Wigeon

Eurasian Wigeon, hen

Mike and I birded the North Shore today, hitting a lot of the ponds. We found the drake Eurasian Wigeon on Lake Sylvan almost immediately, but another wigeon, in the back pool of Lake Takanassee was more intriguing. It had a reddish head but without the "baldpate" of drakes, a blue bill, and gray back. I've seen a goodly number of Eurasian Wigeon drakes, but never, up until today, a hen. I thought that hens of American and Eurasian were virtually indistinguishable, but this duck stood out to us. Maybe we were lucky with the way the sun lit the bird.

Cackling Goose with Canada Geese

A Cackling Goose continues there (it was on the grass with some Canadas, giving a good comparison). Down at the outflow pipe of Wreck Pond we found a hen Harlequin Duck. Rare for Monmouth, no big deal in Ocean. A good day for hens!