This evening's Wilder Dam waterfowl roost watch drew about 20 people.  
Weather couldn't have been better - c. 40 degrees F, calm and clear.  
There were 15 Common and 3 female Hooded Mergansers below the dam when 
we arrived at 5 pm, and American Crows were streaming south over the 
river's east bank towards their night roost.  It was difficult to count 
them (and we were there to watch waterfowl, after all), but they 
continued passing by in small numbers right into dusk.  I'd estimate 
that easily 350-400 birds moved past, maybe more.  No Bald Eagles were 
visible on any of their usual perches, but a couple of people had a 
fleeting glimpse at 5:30 of a large bird just below the river bend 1/4 
mile below the dam, most likely an eagle.

Several flocks of fast-flying dabbling ducks, totaling at least 75 
birds, passed by heading south, on the same flight path as the crows and 
quickly overtaking them.  They couldn't be positively identified but 
were almost certainly Mallards, though some Am. Blacks could have been 
mixed in.  I hadn't seen any dabblers in either of my other two watches 
here this winter.  No idea where they were headed.

Other roosting ducks were slow to arrive.  Several flocks of 5-20 Common 
Mergansers augmented the sitting flock during our first half hour, with 
a couple of these dropping in from elevations of 2-300 feet, spiraling 
down to the river.  Numbers swelled to >100 birds by ~5:40.  The next 
10-15 minutes featured a pronounced influx, mostly of Hoodeds, with a 
single female Common Goldeneye appearing as light began to fade.  Most 
of the Hoodies appeared within about 5 minutes of one another, and by 6 
pm, arrivals seemed to have stopped, though some could have been missed 
in the poor light.

Final totals (conservative) of the roosting flock: 140 Common 
Mergansers, 75 Hooded Mergansers, 1 Common Goldeneye.

Let's do it again next month!

Chris

-- 
Chris Rimmer
Vermont Center for Ecostudies
P.O. Box 420
Norwich, VT 05055
802-649-8281 ext. 1
www.vtecostudies.org