National Bird Day

     I tried to have my National Bird Day be one for a Painted Bunting, as a female continues on in Brooklyn Bridge Park. But the wind and some other commitments for the day make it impossible fo me to find. Such is life. But before the daylight was gone, I got another wonderful Bird for Brooklyn, a Harlequin Duck!

One of these diving ducks is not like the others!
Can you spot the harlequin? It associated itself with this group of Buffleheads in Sheepshead Bay.
It looks similar to the females, but their head isn't quite the same shape and they have a lot more white on their face.

And unlike mallards, harlequin ducks dive for their meals. 

Unlike the harlequin ducks I saw on Christmas Eve, this individual is a male. Not quite in its breeding plumage, maybe he is a youngster still.

With fading sunlight these photos are not my favorite. Most came out pretty blurry. Clearly I needed to putz with the settings and didn't.

I wonder what it found in Sheepshead Bay as it dove. I don't think of this bay as the cleanest. It easily gathers debris within it and I also think of mob-type activity.

Very happy to enjoy this bird only 10 minutes from home as opposed to a drive out to Jones Beach/Point Lookout to see these beautiful ducks.

Happy National Bird Day.
I'm looking forward to celebrating Bird Day every day later on this week in far warmer weather.