Sawbills

This juvenile Common Merganser, its bill lit up in the afternoon sun, was part of a mixed group of juveniles and adults foraging in a small local stream several months ago. Both Common and Red-breasted mergansers use their serrated "saw bill" to catch fish and crustaceans.

Common Mergansers are are found on open inland waters throughout the year. In contrast Red-breasted Mergansers prefer quiet salt-water bays. They usually stick to the coasts during migration from their breeding grounds in the northern boreal forest and tundra. Infrequently do they appear on inland lakes and rivers.

This pair ventured inland. I found them on a quiet backwater of the CT River. In basic winter plumage the male and female look very much alike, except for the male being perhaps a bit darker. The two photos below, taken in Gloucester Harbor in MA, show them in breeding plumage.

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Snow Goose

Quick note to subscribers of VTBIRD: I saw a single white snow goose among the many Canada Geese on the waters of the Retreat Meadow this morning.

The Perpetual Motion Bird

Nuthatches They are always in motion, never stopping... running up a tree, heading down and circling around,  flying back and forth to the feeder grabbing a seed, to eat or cache for later in the winter. They are busy in the fall building up their cache, each spot containing only one or two items. When opening a seed, or nut, the nuthatch pushes it into a crevice in the bark and hacks it open. Presumably their name is derived from this behavior. You usually see only one at a time but there must be at least two of them since they live in pairs in a permanent territory.

Since they won't ever hold still for a photo you have to be quick with your trigger finger. It's fun watching their swift undulating flight. Their rapid nasal call is probably familiar to most of us.Together with the Chickadee and Titmouse they are our favorite backyard birds.

Look at those amazing long claws that grip the tree and allow to run upside down. 

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This morning I went to an area on the West River to check on the Hooded Mergansers that I had seen there recently, but the water was frozen solid, and no bird in sight. Here are some photos from a previous trip:

Hooded Merganser pair and Canada Goose

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Related articles

• Birds count on the seed heads in your garden for food (seattletimes.nwsource.com)

 Source of information on Nuthatch behavior: Cornell's Birds of North America online