Around noon today, the group of 3 long-tailed ducks was still along the ice slightly north of the mouth of Mink Brook. They were easy to see with 10x binoculars from the end of the Mink Brook River Trail; easier with a scope. I found it interesting that the three individuals stayed very close together, diving at pretty much the same time, surfacing together, then swimming almost shoulder to shoulder, quite unlike the two merganser species nearby.

FYI, the trail to the east of Rt. 10 has been modified with culverts to the brook allowing drainage beneath instead of across the path. The surface is now hard pack crushed stone from the parking area to the wet area just before the incline up to the higher ground at the trail's end. There is also a newly constructed, elevated wooden walkway across the wet area.

In addition to the long-tailed ducks, there were 2 wood, 14 mallards, 3 ring-necked, 14 hooded mergansers and 14 common mergansers, among other species.

Larry


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