Saturday 11 January 2014

'Duck hunting' at Red Lake

Today I took another drive down to Red lake specifically looking for white-headed duck and marbled teal. I drove as much of the shore line as was possible but to no avail. The nearest I came was a possible distant sighting of two of the latter but too far off to discount teal. The windy conditions and low winter sun didn't help.

Rook

Dalmatian pelican numbers were up to 12 and marsh harrier were everywhere, hunting over the extensive reed beds together with a single sparrowhawk.

A good thing about having only been in country six months is that I'm still seeing new 'country ticks' on each trip. The first of the day was a single black-necked grebe diving close to the shore.

The commonest ducks were shoveler, with smaller numbers of mallard, pochard, tufted duck and gadwall. Generally waterbird numbers appeared to be increasing with 150 pygmy cormorant, 300 coot and 30 great-crested grebe.

Mediterranean and black-headed gull

The mostly man-mad rocky shores aren't too welcoming to waders but I did manage to find 35 common redshank and 20 dunlin. A couple of pied avocet and a single little stint were both new Azerbaijan species for me.

Starling


2 comments:

  1. Did you know that Shovelers are eatable though it isn’t taste that good but you can try the Northern Shoveler Duck Sliders Recipe, also known as the Spoonie. It’s like a little burgers with spicy Mango with Masa flour.

    But do you know that aside from Shovelers there are lots of ducks & doves you can hunt in Nicaragua, one of the best climates for these migratory birds and 3 hrs away from Texas. You will no longer to bring dog to pick it up because you will have your own people who will pick it up and cook your hunted birds. For other details and inquiry, contact Nicaragua Bird Hunting Adventures

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  2. That'll teach me for using 'duck hunting' as a tag...

    ReplyDelete