Also working the mud in the cove area were around a dozen American Pipits. Other newly-arriving shorebirds there included 3 Pectoral Sandpipers, 2 Wilson's Snipe, and a Lesser Yellowlegs plus at least 14 Killdeer.
Also present were 18 Mallards, 14 Green-winged Teal, 4 Northern Shovelers, and the continuing pair of American Wigeon.
Over at the nearby Silver Crest Road pond were 3 Snow Geese among the 71 Canada Geese, 9 Ruddy Ducks, 4 Ring-necked Ducks, 2 Northern Shovelers, 2 Buffleheads, a Common Merganser, a Killdeer, and a Merlin that was seen unsuccessfully chasing a Killdeer.
A stop at the Nazareth Quarry revealed 2 Snow Geese, 34 Ruddy Ducks, 4 Common Mergansers, 4 Buffleheads, 2 Greater Scaup, an American Black Duck, 24 American Coots, and 2 Horned Grebes. There was one in winter plumage and one was transitioning into breeding plumage.
At one point, they started doing a courtship dance with each other! They would raise out of the water and extend their necks. I got some very long distance photos of them doing it. You can barely see the head plumes flared out on the transitioning bird.
I was surprised to see the female Common Merganser still at the Newburg Road retention pond behind the hospital.
In the small cattail patch across the street, I found a Swamp Sparrow in them along with several Red-winged Blackbirds.
My last stop near sunset was Green Pond where I found a male Blue-winged Teal in the back middle pond next to the development along with 2 Eastern Phoebes.
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