gstankovic Posted August 4, 2018 Share Posted August 4, 2018 The bird was spotted on the middle Delaware River (Delaware Water gap National Recreation Area) by Bushkill on Saturday, 7/28. This day was just after several days of floods and high water in that area, so the river conditions were unusual for this time of the year (very high flow and level, and muddy, brown water). The bird in question was swimming down the stream with the occasional shallow dive. As it came closer to our group (we were in the shallow water, unloading our boats) the bird started running on the water for some good 200 feet...it never took off, and went back to swimming/diving after it got some distance between itself and our group. Sadly, by the time I got my camera out of the dry bag, the bird was already too far and moving fast, and I could not focus properly. Size wise, I would say it was about 2/3 of a size of a common Merganser. My first thought was - Red Necked Grebe, but after spending a lot of time looking at books/photos online, I'm not sure anymore... Any ideas? Please keep in mind that the sun was very low (late PM) and directly behind the bird, so the neck color may appear lighter in the photo than it actual was in reality... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bird Nuts Posted August 4, 2018 Share Posted August 4, 2018 Pretty sure it's a young Common Merganser. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gstankovic Posted August 4, 2018 Author Share Posted August 4, 2018 I just google juvenile common merganser photos, and you're totally right! I've never seen them in this size and without a hairdo... Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now