I stopped at Kilowatt South at 4:50 pm today, on a whim. Darkness was falling, and it was difficult to see clearly, but a sizable group of waterfowl had assembled on the open water, 50-100 feet off the VT shore midway along the playing field. Most of the birds were mergansers, of which I conservatively counted 65 Hooded and 35 Commons. There were also at least 6 Mallards and 2 Am. Black Ducks. I believe birds were still arriving when I left, but it was too dark to be sure. I'm guessing this is the beginning of the nightly roosts that will move below the dam once ice forms above. At Lake Pinneo 30 minutes earlier I found 105 Canada Geese, 2 Common Goldeneye, 97 Hooded and 55 Common mergansers, a Great Blue Heron, and a Herring Gull. Chris -- Chris Rimmer Vermont Center for Ecostudies P.O. Box 420 Norwich, VT 05055 802-649-1431 ext. 1 www.vtecostudies.org **************************************************************** To post messages, send e-mail to: [log in to unmask] Set your e-mail application to PLAIN TEXT ONLY to post messages. To contact the list owner: [log in to unmask] ---------------------------------------------------------------- Web based archives and subscription management are available at: http://listserv.dartmouth.edu/Archives/uv-birders.html ****************************************************************