Question about Coots

[Dotcom]

Weird question but if you drive along the causeway in LP you use to see the swans feeding and now you see ribbons of what looks like dark coloured small ducks from a distance....are these by chance Coots? They have been there for a awhile and keep together like penguins on a snow field from a distance its hard to see any marking or even colours other then "dark".
DOTCOM

 

[Big Dave]

Most of them are Coots. Did you see the Eagles out there?

BD

 

[Dotcom]

No I didn't BD, I missed them[V]. I watched them, for hours when I was in Alaska halibut fishing. Truely beauiful birds.....DOTCOM

 

[canvasbacksca]

Ron Ridout at Bird Studies Canada filmed a short video of a Bald Eagle catching a coot from the bunch sitting off the Causeway:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFWB8qzYl6I&feature=plcp&context=C39e8871UDOEgsToPDskIpgDie_vTTiJZTy40qMCS2

 

[Dicker]

Took the family out for a drive today down to long point today & seen over a dozen bald eagles along the causeway (you heard it right...12+ bald eagles)
Even witnessed a couple with coots, 1 flew into a tree along the causeway and we watched it have his lunch right in front of us!
Gonna head back there tomorrow with the camera & binoculars
Pretty cool to say the least
Hopefully I can get a few cool pics to post tomorrow for everyone

 

[Dicker]

I got a couple nice pics by the port rowan marina

 

[Dicker]

sorry, second photo coppied wrong off of photobucket....but I like that one too!

 

[archer]

Cool pictures! That is a brave squirrel in the second one.

Paul

 

[fishn4life]

Great pics dicker (loved the 2nd pic,lol)
After I read this post, I too ventured down to the point to check out the action
These birds really made a good comeback, we saw about 11 eagles on sunday along the causeway, more than 1/2 were immature birds
I cannot believe that after an eagle grabs a coot out of the flock, none of the other coots pay any attention to what's going on, and they all keep going about there business as if nothing at all just happened
Dicker, Can you send me a few of those pics you have to my e-mail?

 

[Buddy Boy]

Hello Dotcom,

The Tundra Swans (TUSW) are still here ... I see about 160 to 180 of them every night and early morning out my back. In fact I hear them all night while I am watching television and then I fall asleep listening to them as they feed all night. They leave about mid morning and return at or after sunset.

There are between 200 and 300 coots out back as well ... yep ... I counted them too!

I also see about 20 to 40 Canada Geese along with a some Redheads, Wigeon and Buffleheads as well as a few Bluebills, Mallards and Ruddy Ducks.

This morning I saw what looked like 2 Specklebelly Geese (smaller than the Canada Geese and brownish grey in colour with an yellowish orange bill) and 2 Green Winged Teal. I see that BSC has documented a few GWT on the lower Great Lakes already.

The Inner Bay is wide open ... just a bit of ice (a few feet) along the shore and in the Port Rowan Harbour.

Jerome

PS I have seen the eagles too ... buzzing the the coots!