First chase…
One of the few ponds with open water, the body of water across from the Town Hall in Warwick has a good number of ducks including Mallards, Gadwalls, and a Wigeon…
Birders enjoy “chasing” rare birds when a report of such a species comes across the internet alerting us to the find. Such was the case today. A bird not normally found in this area, the Eurasian wigeon, was spotted and photographed earlier this past week. In spite of the cold weather having frozen most of the county ponds and lakes, I decided it would be worth the hour drive to get out and find this bird. When I arrived, I found the pond and quickly noticed a wigeon among the other “normal” inhabitants.
Wigeons have a characteristic light colored shield down the front of their face. I saw this and quickly started shooting. I figured I had scored my first successful
chase” of the year. All too quickly, however, my jubilance turned to disappointment when I realized that the bird was too dark overall and had a whitish shield rather than the more buffy shield of the Eurasian. The greenish hue on the side of the head confirmed that my find was actually an American wigeon….far more common than my target Eurasian.
Never did find the target Eurasian wigeon, so my record for 2025 “chases” now stands at 0-1. Bummer!
I did find a number of Gadwalls which were quite cooperative as far as allowing a reasonable close-up, so the day was not a washout. Have to admit, just being out and in the hunt looking for a rarity makes the day worth while. If the Eurasian is reported again soon, I may have to get out to Warwick again and see if I can have better luck. Only time will tell.
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