Harlequin - what?! 11/10/13

Sarah and I decided to make the trip down to Newport, RI to check out an estate sale that she found online.  It was a no-brained for me since she dangled the 'we'll go birding carrot' in front if me...   The estate sale was nice and Sarah for some odds and ends.  Afterwards, we took a quick trip down to Palmer Point State Park, RI.  

After a brief bathroom break a couple told us that there were harlequin ducks just off shore.  Needless to say....

Later on we ventured to gooseberry neck where we ran across some nice birds and then to Allen's Pond where we flushed some Meadowlarks at dusk.

    Savannah Sparrows taking a bath

   Semi-palmated Plover

   Ruddy Turnstone

    Dunlin weathering the storm!

Mandarin Duck - Leverett Pond -11/24/2013

Sarah and I took an early morning trip to JP to track down the Mandarin Duck being seen at Leverett Pond.  Boy it was frigid cold. After a few minutes of looking, I spotted it swimming across an opening between two vegetated islands.  It took awhile to get Sarah on the bird which required us to walk around to the other side.  We met several other  birders there looking for the same.  Sarah graciously shared our scope.

    Mandarin duck - Presumably escaped from captivity.