The first two months of the birding big year have come and gone, and if you are not participating yet, there’s no better time to join than right now! We have some winter residents that will soon be heading north; now is the time to catch them. The ducks have begun to move, but there are many still around. I had to call Lori over to verify a pair of Lesser Scaup in the impoundment, and then later in the day I saw a group of four of them. They are entering into breeding plumage, so they are darker than when this photo was taken:
Most of our ducks are species that will soon be heading north: Hooded Mergansers are preening and posturing.

Widgeon and Gadwall have been spending the winter in the impoundment. Often flocking together, there are about 75 total in the flock. They have been seen landing and feeding on the small freshwater ponds on the island, often with a handful of Mottled Ducks and some Green Winged Teal.

The last ducks to hang around are the Blue-Winged Teal. Much smaller than Widgeons and Gadwall, they may be here past the end of March.
Some birds of the waterway, like Loons and Horn-billed Grebes, have already headed north. This shot shows a common loon with a pair of Horned Billed Grebes in the foreground. Shot from the ferry, it shows the size difference.

Another winter resident is the Yellow=bellied Sapsucker. This woodpecker is the one who leaves those little lines of scars in the bark of trees. “They mainly eat the inner bark of trees, lap sap that oozes from small wells that the birds drill in a tree trunk, and eat invertebrates trapped in the sap.” (Sibley guide to Bird Life and Behavior.) Check out their feet: they are adapted for climbing with two toes backward and two forward. This is one I don’t have yet for this year’s bird list, so I am hoping to see one soon. Otherwise, I’ll have to wait until fall.

http://bluepixy.smugmug.com/DeweesIsland/Dewees-Winter-Birds/20439297_nCXKSw#!i=1746305013&k=9TjTJBf