I checked a few lakes en-route to and from work this week.  Christmas bird count for Peterborough is December 18th – what will Santa bring me?  The count week (birds recorded three days before and after the actual day are counted also) for Peterborough begins next Wednesday December 15th, so any lingering birds have to linger for just one more week to be counted.  The, until recently, relatively warm weather means that most water bodies are still open, and that’s good for waterfowl numbers and diversity.  Fingers crossed it doesn’t freeze between now and the count weekend.

Several interesting waterfowl linger, unfortunately all just barely outside the count circle (meters in the case of the wood ducks).

Childs Bog

Greater Scaup – 1 female (very good bird for the Peterborough CBC)

Bufflehead – 6 (also good)

Common Goldeneye – 1

Hooded Merganser – 12

Skatutakee

Mallard – 100

Hooded Merganser – 10

Common Merganser – 14

Wood Duck – 2 hidden in the mallard flock.  The steam emanating from their nostrils drifted into the Peterborough count circle, they were that close.

Greater Scaup, Childs Bog, Nelson NH December 7th

Always a tricky call, especially when they are far away and on their lonesome, this female greater scaup exhibits a peaked crown, recognized as a field mark for lesser scaup.  However lesser scaup’s heads are squarer and the peak is usually toward the rear of the crown.  Greater scaup can show a peak toward the center of the head.  Confused?  Me too.