Sightings for Monday April 7th

Lasalle
parc des rapides: 2 Hooded mergansers (harles couronnées), 1 American wigeon (canard d’Amérique), 1 Common mergansers (couple de Grands harles), Many American robins (plusieurs merles d’Amérique), Gadwalls (2 couples de canard chipeau) - Sylvie

On this beautiful spring day it is difficult to stay inside so I conducted my first “marathon walk” to the St. Lawrence River at Parc des rapides and along the river to Verdun.

As people have been reporting there are lots of ducks on the river but the Harlequin and Barrows escaped me. Did find four Buffleheads along with Greater and Lesser Scaup Ring-necked Duck and the usual suspects, bringing my Bigby total to a much more respectable 46. Numerous DC Cormorants including some showing the double crest which is not often seen.

There was a “Black-headed” Gull on the ice where the RB Gulls usually congregate at the east end of Parc des rapides. Unfortunately it did not fly so while I think it was a Franklin’s, visibility was not great even with the scope as I could not get an angle that eliminated the sun’s glare. I am hoping others will check it out and get a photo to confirm one way or another?

Noticeably smaller than the RB’s, it was coming into breeding plumage with an almost completely dark hood, fairly long, what appeared to be all-black fairly thin bill with a definate slight downward hook (but not as much as a Laughing), and partial white eye-ring. The legs appeared reddish-orange. - Jeff