What a fun and unbelievable day as we took off this morning from Anoka - headed for Duluth - all for a chance to see a rare duck that hasn't been seen in Minnesota since 1966. After a quick phone call and even quicker chat with some fellow birders milling around the Beacon Point Condos, Melinda and I headed down the lake walk toward downtown Duluth for a chilly stroll. The sun was out in Duluth (unlike in Minneapolis/St. Paul), but the wind was cold coming off of the lake. It was less than 30 minutes when another birder on the walk spotted 2 diving ducks with his scope. They were swimming south toward downtown Duluth so we hurried along the path - trying to be careful not to slip on the ice. Melinda and I had great views with our binoculars but I set up my spotting scope anyway to get great views of 2 juvenile Common Eiders.
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| Common Eider
The attached photo is a bit dark as I had much back lighting from the sun. However, the photo proves diagnostic as you can see the very distinctively long bill with sloping forehead. The long bill extends almost to the eyes. Thank you Lord for making this quite the adventure. Success in finding a new bird and safe travel to and from Duluth. Thank you. Thank you.
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