Rare Bird Alert 05-19-09

Notes: I was getting ready to return from a noon trip into town that day when my cell phone began to vibrate in my pocket. It was the report of an unusual species sighting from a friend. This delicate duck had appeared on a small pond at Stony Point Office Park, just south of the river a couple of miles. So I swung by the house and grabbed by binoculars and camera and headed out. I arrived at the described location in just under an hour, but I did not see this unusual bird at first. So I made another phone call to inquire about the bird's exact location and behavior. I began to walk around the pond's perimiter and soon found the rusty breasted duck up on the shore resting in the shade of a nearby tree. As I approached it stood and strolled slowly towards the water. As it waddled into the sunlight its brown front turned cinnimon and its beak glowed pink in the warm light. Then with a short flight, it joined a couple of local Mallards in the water for a drink and "whistled" a few times. It soon returned to another shade tree to sit in the grass and rest some more.