And on the seventh day they are gone!!! The Berlin Reservoir, much viewed Long-tailed Ducks, have apparently headed for their summer destinations. They were last reported late yesterday afternoon. Today, Jeff Harvey at 10AM and myself at 5:30PM looked for them to no avail! These beautiful short visit celebrities brought much enjoyment to many. On a probable close to this exciting spring chapter, a description by Pete Dunne is in order: Males are showy and elegantly rakish, dressed to go out on the town -- a designer duck. Despite its compact body, the tail makes the male look elegantly long. A piece of information to newcomers in birding about my use of two bird names; to most seasoned birders like myself this duck was known in North America by the picturesque name of "OLDSQUAW" until the year 2000. That year The American Orithologists Union changed it to Long-tailed Duck to be supposedly politically correct. On a final thought about the Long-tailed Ducks, hopefully the rest of their journey is a successful one.

 

Bob Lane / Damascus 
                                          
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