Northern Shrike Wire-sitting

 Within twelve hours of birding the Southern Shore yesterday with Catherine Barrett, we had many highlights. One of them was this great Northern Shrike sitting on a wire a Point La Haye.

 It was on the return trip from the point when Catherine spotted a small bird sitting on a distant wire. One quick look with the binoculars was all it took to know we had a shrike. Yeah! For 15 months, I have been scanning the tops of trees in search of a shrike to no avail. I was pretty excited.

We took a couple of distant shots and then worked our way toward the bird. It was confident in its perch and allowed us to drive practically under the wire for better looks. Seeing this species is always a hit or miss deal, but the "hit" is always better than the "miss."

Flock of Harlequin Ducks

 On the spur of the moment, I headed to Ferryland to see the snipe creating a lot of debate. It seems to be a Common Snipe, but definitive under wing shots have yet to prove it.

 Strange how sometimes, my car just keeps going. Once as far as Ferryland, I thought why not head to St. Vincent's and points in between.

 One of the stops I made was in St. Shotts. I was only able to go so far up the road to the lighthouse due to the low profile of my car. I pulled over and made the walk through the rock-solid snow blocking the road. Along the way, I wondered if it was going to be a good use of my time.

It was. I found a flock of eight beautiful Harlequin Ducks and one lone Harlequin in another area. This was the most I have ever seen, and they were stunning swimming in the calm, aqua waters. They were close to shore, but I opted not to go too close to the cliff's edge due to the ice all around.  Also and somewhat unexpected, I saw a number of Black-legged Kittiwake seemingly roosting on the nearby rocks. I guess it won't be too long before the Northern Gannets return to Cape St. Mary's. It is so nice to see all of these signs of spring surrounding us.

Dirty Duck

 It is easy to gaze out over all the diving ducks and overlook the unusual. After more than 30 minutes of looking, I spotted this odd Tufted Duck.

 It has all the markings of a male, but it has quite a brown chest. What? Even the duck is perplexed...

After a consultation, I agree it is most likely this is just a dirty duck. It is the only one like this. I can't help but wonder where it got all of this mess on its breast.

Celebrity Visitor

A rare Bearded Seal showed up in Quidi Vidi this week. It took a couple of days for the news to get out, but when it did, people hurried over to have a look.

 On January 12, 2015 a Bearded Seal was reported near Triton. Is this the same seal that has worked its way around the shoreline? Looking at the photos posted by Dennis Smeaton on Nature NL, I don't think so. The Triton seal seems to be much bigger than the QV seal.

 This arctic species most likely came in with the ice that is moving into the waters off Newfoundland.

 The white whiskers for which it is named seem to have a coating of ice on them. Being unfamiliar with this species, it is possible they are just that coarse.

 It was very comfortable in the area as it dove into the water and repeatedly climbed back up on the ice.

This one chose to languish dangerously close to a high-end restaurant that has seal on the menu:)

 Lurking along the edge of far-side rock was this super-sized Mink. It is the largest I have ever seen. I watched as it tripped its way across the thin ice next to the rock edge.

It also had a great winter coat which is also a first for me. I have only seen mink in the summer. This creature was large enough to ensure I would not want to approach it for better photos.