Harlequin Duck – Swimmers – 2/16/2012 to 5/29/2018

This male Harlequin Duck was photographed at the cruise ship dock in Juneau, Alaska.

The female Harlequin Duck was photographed at Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, Illinois on 2/16 2012.

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The male Harlequin Duck is a small slaty duck with chestnut sides and odd white patches and spots. The female Harlequin Duck is a dusky brown with three white spots on the side of its head, and no wing patches. It has a habitat of mountain streams in summer and rocky coastal waters in winter, and favors extremely turbulent streams. Its diet consists of mollusks, crustaceans, plant material, and insects.

 

 

Gyrfalcon Bird – Birds of Prey – 5/24/2018

The Gyrfalcon was photographed at Granville Island in Vancouver, British Columbia.

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This white phase Gyrfalcon is barred on the back side and spotted below, and is the largest of falcons that reigns on desolate coasts of the high Arctic. It has a range of Arctic regions; circumpolar. It’s habitat is Arctic barrens, seacoasts, and open mountains. They feed on mainly birds and some mammals. Gyrfalcons may vary in color phase from blackish, gray, and white. Most Gyrfalcons remain in the far north all year; only a few come as far south as Canada border in winter.

 

Atlantic Black Guillemot Bird – Swimmers – 5/29/2018

The Atlantic Black Guillemot was photographed at the cruise ship dock in Juneau, Alaska.

Select his link to see photos of the Atlantic Black Guillemot

The Black Guillemot, during the summer, is a small black ducklike bird with a large white shoulder patch, bright red feet, black pointed bill, and orange-red inside of mouth. In winter it is pale with white underparts and a barred back, with black wings having the white patch.. It has a range of the North Atlantic sector of Arctic south to New England, USA. It has a habitat of inshore waters of the ocean rocky shores and islands. They mainly eat fish and crustaceans, some mollusks, insects, and plant material.

 

Greater White-Fronted Goose Bird – Swimmers – 3/10/2017

The Greater White-Fronted Goose was photographed at McKinley Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Select this link to see photos of the Great White-Fronted Goose

The Greater White-Fronted Goose is a gray goose with a white patch on the front of the face, a pink bill, speckled belly, white flank line, and orange feet. It has a range of the Arctic circumpolar. It has a habitat of marshes, prairies, fields, lakes, bays, and tundra, and mostly in open country. It feeds mostly on plant material.

 

 

Slaty-Backed Gull – Swimmers – 2/18/2017

The Slaty-Backed Gull was photographed on Northridge Lakes in Brown Deer, Wisconsin.

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The Slaty-Backed Gull is a large white headed (often with streaks) Gull, with a white belly and tail, dark pink legs, yellow bill with orange-red sub-terminal spot, dark steak through eye, and a dark slaty-gray back. The wings have a broad white trailing edge. It has a range of Far East Asia and the western coast of Alaska, but travels widely during non-breeding seasons. It has a habitat that is mainly coastal and northeastern Asia. Its diet consists mainly of fish and invertebrates, such as crabs and sea urchins.

 

 

Ross’s Goose Bird – Swimmers – 2/3/2017

The Ross’s Goose was photographed at the South Shore Yacht Club in Bayview, Wisconsin.

Select this link to see photos or videos of the Ross’s Goose

The Ross’s Goose is small in size, primarily white with black wing tips, red-orange feet, and stubby red-orange beak. There is a dark morph, but it is rare. It has a range of Artic Canada and winters in western United States. It is found in the tundra (summer), salt and freshwater marshes, ponds, and grain fields in their winter. It eats mostly grasses and grains. This was a loner goose that stayed for some time with several Canadian Geese, and seemed to travel with them. I never saw it fly, but saw it at several times at different locations.

 

Western Grebe Bird – Swimmers – 10/23/2016

The Western Grebe was photographed at Lakeshore State Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

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The Western Grebe is a large slate and white Grebe with a long swanlike neck and a dull olive-yellow bill with a dark edge. It has a range of Western North America. It has a range of open water and marsh vegetation, sloughs, bays, and the ocean. It eats crustaceans, insects, worms, feathers, and mostly fish.

Select this link to see where the Western Grebe was photographed

 

 

Common Gallinule or Moorhen Bird – Swimmers – 6/12/2010 to 8/2/2016

The adult Common Gallinule was photographed at Cameron Prairie National Refuge in Louisiana.

The immature Common Gallinule was also photographed at the Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge.

Select this link to see photos or a slideshow of the Common Gallinule or Moorhen

The bird is made of two species called the Common Gallinule in North and South America, and the Common Moorhen in Europe, Asia, and Africa. There are mainly two differences between them; their vocalization, and the shape and size of the red head shield. The Common Gallinule has and is referenced as a Common Moorhen in some bird books.

The adult Common Gallinule has a gray-tan top, gray bottom, and red beak with yellow tip, red head shield, white flank stripe, red-yellow legs, and white under the tail. The immature Common Gallinule is a dull brownish-gray color top and bottom, a drab maroon bill, no head shield, with yellow legs, a white flank stripe, and white under the tail. It inhabits well-vegetated marshes, ponds, canals, and other wetlands with a range from Canada to Chile. It eats seeds of grasses and sedge, small aquatic creatures, and some snails. It uses its long toes to walk on top of floating vegetation and grasses. It will fight to defend its territory.

Select this link to see where the Common Gallinule photos were taken in Louisiana

 

 

Purple Gallinule Bird – Swimmers – 8/2/2016

The adult Purple Gallinule photos were taken at the Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge in Southwest Louisiana.

The juvenile Purple Gallinule photos were also taken at the Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge.

Select this link to see photos or a slideshow of the Purple Gallinule

The adult Purple Gallinule is very colorful with head and underparts a violet-purple, back a bronzy green, bill red with a yellow tip, legs yellow, and with a blue forehead shield. It has long legs. The juvenile Purple Gallinule is a drab brown above, pale below, bill brown, and with yellow legs. It has a range of southeast United States to Argentina. It has a habitat of fresh swamps, and ponds. It eats a wide variety of plants, seeds, and fruits, and small animals such as insects, frogs, snails, spiders, worms, and fish. It usually walks on floating vegetation or climbs through brush rather than swimming. It also climbs bushes.

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Snow (Dark or Blue) Goose Bird – Swimmers – 9/19/2015

The adult Dark Snow Goose was photographed at Veterans Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Lake Michigan.

Select this link to see photos or a slideshow of the Snow (Dark) Goose

The Snow (Dark or Blue) Goose is dark gray-brown with a white head, and is the same species as the Snow (white) Goose. It has a range of Artic America and Northeast Siberia. It has a habitat of tundra (summer), marshes, grain fields, ponds, and bays. It is typically seen in large numbers or not at all. This sighting was a single Dark Snow Goose. The diet is almost entirely of plant material and seeds.