I slogged around several areas of Alum Creek Lake Reservoir this morning, waiting out the flurries in my car, then darting out during the brief clear periods.  The lower reservoir is frozen, but the hole up at Cheshire bridge continues to attract good waterfowl.  Today's treat was a flock of 120 Tundra Swans, but several of us couldn't relocate the scoter or Snow Geese reported earlier.  However, waterfowl are continually arriving and leaving from this hole, even in this foul weather, so it's worth a check at any time.  Today's 'residents' (between 12:30-1:30) included

Tundra Swan - 120 at start, but many flew to the west by the time I left
Canada Geese started with just 50, but flocks kept coming in, so ended with 400+.  No Cacklers, however.
Canvasback - 25+, including some gorgeous males
Redheads - 60+, but many small groups kept moving around so there may have been more
scaups - 3 distant diving birds, so I had no chance to determine Greater or Lesser before a snow squall hit
CommonGoldeneye - 45-50, with a mix of all plumages.  Many of the males were displaying, even in the bitter wind.
CommonMerganser - at least 6 females
Red-br.Merganser - 1 male
Hooded Mergansers - 2 females, but may have been more
Gulls - around 20, more-or-less equally divided between Ring-bills and Herring.  No obvious dark or light big ones, but this would be an ideal spot to find a stray unusual species.

Elsewhere, landbirding was unsurprisingly light.  New Galena did have a fly-by flock of 9 Cedar Waxwings, out to prove that it's never too late to head south.  Yellow-rumped warblers were also at several locations

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