dragon49 Posted January 19, 2022 Share Posted January 19, 2022 I wasn't birding at the time and couldn't get my phone out quickly enough. Early this evening in Boynton Beach, Florida, while there was still enough light to see what was going on, four medium to large birds flew past me. The bodies were pure black and each had a thick, white ring around the neck. Any ideas? I got a very good look and would be able to confirm or reject any suggestions. Ty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry Friedman Posted January 19, 2022 Share Posted January 19, 2022 Brant? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragon49 Posted January 19, 2022 Author Share Posted January 19, 2022 3 minutes ago, Jerry Friedman said: Brant? Don't think so but can't 100% rule it out. None of the maps I'm looking at have it in my area ever. The white band was more complete, thicker, and uniform, and I don't remember seeing anything other than black. It was past official sundown, so the lighting wasn't ideal and I could have missed something though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connor Cochrane Posted January 19, 2022 Share Posted January 19, 2022 13 minutes ago, dragon49 said: Don't think so but can't 100% rule it out. None of the maps I'm looking at have it in my area ever. The white band was more complete, thicker, and uniform, and I don't remember seeing anything other than black. It was past official sundown, so the lighting wasn't ideal and I could have missed something though. Was the bird inland or along the coast? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragon49 Posted January 19, 2022 Author Share Posted January 19, 2022 8 minutes ago, Connor Cochrane said: Was the bird inland or along the coast? Approximately 7.5 miles west of the ocean. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colton V Posted January 19, 2022 Share Posted January 19, 2022 Male Red-breasted Merganser? Did you notice any patterning in the wings? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colton V Posted January 19, 2022 Share Posted January 19, 2022 Also what was the habitat like? Any water nearby? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragon49 Posted January 19, 2022 Author Share Posted January 19, 2022 4 minutes ago, Colton V said: Male Red-breasted Merganser? Did you notice any patterning in the wings? I don't remember patterning. Seem to remember more of a solid structure. Pics of Red-breasted Mersangers in flight do look to have the same shape as the four birds I saw though. Also, other than the rings, I only remember seeing black, no other colors. 5 minutes ago, Colton V said: Also what was the habitat like? Any water nearby? All over the place. A residential lake behind the house across the street, a canal less than half a mile away, and tons of residential lakes in the surrounding communities. I'm going to sleep. Thanks all for trying to help with the ID. I'll check back in tomorrow morning. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clip Posted January 19, 2022 Share Posted January 19, 2022 6 hours ago, Colton V said: Also what was the habitat like? Any water nearby? Here in Florida there is ALWAYS water nearby. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted January 19, 2022 Share Posted January 19, 2022 We're talking south FL; they may be exotics or domestics. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry Friedman Posted January 19, 2022 Share Posted January 19, 2022 13 hours ago, dragon49 said: Approximately 7.5 miles west of the ocean. Brant are rare in Florida, but eBird does have a record from Boca Raton and several from near Port St. Lucie. They do occur inland--there's a group of three here in New Mexico as I write--but the Florida records seem to be from the outer beaches. If they were native birds, @Colton V's suggesting of Red-breasted Merganser seems a lot more likely than Brant. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted January 19, 2022 Share Posted January 19, 2022 1 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avery Posted January 19, 2022 Share Posted January 19, 2022 What was the shape of these birds? If the light wasn’t great, many colors can appear to be black. Were they shaped like waterfowl, or something else? 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragon49 Posted January 20, 2022 Author Share Posted January 20, 2022 6 hours ago, Jerry Friedman said: Brant are rare in Florida, but eBird does have a record from Boca Raton and several from near Port St. Lucie. They do occur inland--there's a group of three here in New Mexico as I write--but the Florida records seem to be from the outer beaches. If they were native birds, @Colton V's suggesting of Red-breasted Merganser seems a lot more likely than Brant. The flying/gliding poses I see online of Red-breasted Mersangers very strongly resemble what I saw last night, so I'm heavily leaning toward that species. My answers about the pure blackness and lack of patterning need to be tempered by the fact that there was very little light out. I need the ID, but am erring on the side of caution. I'm not taking credit for any new "lifers" without a positive photo ID. 2 hours ago, Avery said: What was the shape of these birds? If the light wasn’t great, many colors can appear to be black. Were they shaped like waterfowl, or something else? Please see the above. Next time I go back there, I'm bringing the good camera! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted January 20, 2022 Share Posted January 20, 2022 5 minutes ago, dragon49 said: Please see the above. Next time I go back there, I'm bringing the good camera! Do a couple of test shots so you can get the settings right for the conditions! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragon49 Posted January 20, 2022 Author Share Posted January 20, 2022 48 minutes ago, Charlie Spencer said: Do a couple of test shots so you can get the settings right for the conditions! Ty, 4 advice, but I'm usually there much earlier in the day. I don't normally go birding after sunset. I was just randomly walking around the block last night and they flew over much too fast for me to have a chance to get a pic with my iPhone. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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