Dateline: 10 January 2023.
Tuesday, cool but mostly sunny; nice to see the sun for once. Time for a quick lunchtime stop at the East Avenue boat ramp and beach (Erie, PA), which yielded a sizeable flock of amazing Ruddy Duck!
Not a common sighting, hence the amazement. BirdingPI.com’s last official sighting was a couple years ago, with several spotted flying over Presque Isle Bay.
As night feeders, most were resting/asleep (see shots above), but several were actively foraging (diving).
Directions to East Ave boat ramp: navigate to East Avenue and head north until the pavement ends at the lake.
[Editor’s Note: edited on 17 Jan 2023 to add picture of East Avenue beach, to provide context. Hammermill Paper Co. smoke stacks in background.]