Tricia and I had a great time on Christmas Eve and Christmas day in Suffolk County, Long Island, celebrating with our families. On our way out of town today, we stopped at Lake Capri in West Islip to try for the Tufted Duck that has been reported there. The earliest reports on eBird are from 12/13/15, and the most recent report was from Christmas Eve, so I was feeling confident that the bird would still be present. Shortly after arriving, we realized that viewing at Lake Capri is less than ideal. As far as we could tell, the only viewing area was along Montauk Highway at the south end of the lake. There is a chain link fence and much vegetation to look through, which made viewing and taking photos a little bit of a challenge. I did better capturing the bird with my iPhone through the spotting scope, but for them the photo quality is then pretty poor. Previous reports indicate that this is a young male TUDU; it is a beautiful bird and life bird #344 for me.
Congratulations Matt! Very nice life bird!
Thanks John, I agree – nice bird for sure! Matt
Matt,
Great catch. This duck is adorable. It is amazing how many different kinds there are.
Wilma
Yeah, pretty cute huh Wilma? It is amazing how many there are and that they can end up nearly anywhere. Matt
This is the bird that John and I were in search of when we were to the Finger Lakes last January or February. We came away with no Tufted Duck but thousands of Red Heads. Congratulations, Matt!
Thanks Karen, I remember that trip you took. I went for another Tufted Duck on Long Island a couple years ago – it was being reported nearly daily in a small pond near my sister Meghan’s house on the north shore. Unfortunately the bird was nowhere to be seen the day I was there. Matt
Congratulations Matt! Tufted Duck is ALWAYS a great bird. This one is definitely a young male and considering your conditions you got a few very good shots.
Best wishes.
Thanks so much Ken! Matt