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The Black Scoter Melanitta americana, called the American Scoter by some and Melanitta nigra by others*, is a large seaduck rather readily identified by the large, shockingly-bright-yellow knob on the male’s bill that stands out amazingly well against the all-black plumage that gives the bird its common name.  The female is dressed in more muted [...]

Sunday was my day for birding this weekend and I had an ambitious plan to wake up very early, get into Forest Park, and spend hours searching each and every grove of pines for roosting owls before Danny got out of church and headed to the coast with me in search of scoters.  I failed [...]

When winter rolls around and most of our breeding birds have departed for points south, we on North America’s temperate shores turn our attention away from the trees and toward the water. Winter means waterfowl. While any river, lake, or pond might harbor a greater abundance of ducks, geese, and swans, the excitement isn’t all [...]