The Martins Creek Area and the Nazareth Quarry ~ February 2, 2026

I drove up to the Martins Creek Environmental Preserve to see if the Canvasback that Guy de Bruyn found yesterday was still there. It was, but it was all the way in the back of the basin and had its head tucked in the whole time I was there. I took these horrendous long-distance documentation photos of it showing the all-white top and sides, black breast, and rusty-colored head.

Canvasback

This photo shows one of the three male Redheads that were there with the Canvasback.

A male Redhead (facing right, just left of center) and the male Canvasback to its right.

While there, three Purple Finches flew into the tree alongside the fencing.

Purple Finch

Other birds seen there included a male Greater Scaup, 4 Common Mergansers, and a Hooded Merganser among roughly 110 Buffleheads and 100 Ring-necked Ducks. Two Black Vultures and a Bald Eagle were seen overhead. Birds seen along the road included a White-crowned Sparrow, 2 White-throated Sparrows, 13 Song Sparrows, and 6 Dark-eyed Juncos.

I went down to the Martins Creek PPL boat launch area and found the two Killdeer that have amazingly overwintered through this extremely cold season.

Killdeer

Also seen there were around 200 Canada Geese and 50 Mallards, 15 Buffleheads, 3 American Black Ducks, 3 Common Mergansers, a Hooded Merganser, and an Eastern Bluebird.

I checked the Nazareth Quarry. I didn't see the loon or the grebe, but I did see a Cackling Goose, 8 Redheads, 12 American Coots, and 2 Pied-billed Grebes in among the estimated 5000 Snow Geese. Also present were around 60 Ruddy Ducks and 30 Buffleheads, 16 Mallards, 2 Greater Scaup, an American Black Duck, 17 Common Mergansers, 11 Ring-billed Gulls and an American Herring Gull, plus a Red-tailed Hawk and about 300 Canada Goose.

On my way over to my daughter's, I saw a Merlin perched in a tree along Georgetown Road. I got these poor photos of it through the branches.

Merlin

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