(Photo: Mr. Chirpy captured this photo of a Long-Tailed Duck floating in the middle of the Potomac River)
We went birding this past weekend and checked out LBJ Memorial Grove for the first time. It’s a beautiful spot with opportunities to look for birds on both the Potomac River and in a gorgeous grove of trees. We also had a friend join us so it was fun to introduce someone else to the hobby.
When we were on the banks of the Potomac, I did a scan with my binoculars and noticed what appeared to be a very patchy looking gull in the distance. It didn’t look right, but I couldn’t quite identify it. Thankfully Mr. Chirpy had his super zoom lens and snagged the photo you see above.
When I got a better look at the birdie it was definitely a duck. I compared the photo to images of ducks in Merlin and identified it as a Long-Tailed Duck! It was a new lifer for the whole group, and since it’s on the rarer side, we sent the photo to our birding group. A couple of those folks were able to spot it too! I love that we were able to share our excitement. Birding has brought a sense of community I didn’t expect when I started the hobby.
Now that we’ve seen a Long-Tailed Duck–I’d love to see it again–and closer!