Spring in February

     A balmy day greeted us, the temperatures quickly rose up out of the 30's up to 60 degrees. So I got out early today before work and just basked in the warmth and beauty of the morning. I visited the Marine Park salt marsh and Sheepshead Bay before starting the workday and very happy I did!

I arrived to fog rising and dissipating over a still icy marsh. The wind wasn't blowing and the result was this amazing warm, still, and beautiful landscape. It is all that I love about Brooklyn, this is the urban wilderness I love.

A belted kingfisher rattled in the trees, looking over the areas not frozen for a meal.

A lone ruddy duck paddled across the glassy waters.

Swimming through the clouds and sky.

Eye contact, and then a morning trail walker spooked him.
The marsh provided lots of robins, blue jays, a few white-throated sparrows, and a loud, singing Carolina wren, who I not only heard, but saw the pint-sized bird with an amplified voice.

At Sheepshead Bay, I was on the search for a duck. Not these ducks. But these are always nice to see, these are lesser scaup. The duck I am looking for is related, in the pochard family. Pochards are diving ducks. And in an instant they can disappear below the surface in search of food or to avoid being spotted.

In 15 minutes I was able to find the duck I was after, just from silhouette alone with that sloping forehead, a canvasback.

I saw a canvasback last month in Queens, this one is in Brooklyn, close to home and work, and close to the walkways, giving opportunities for amazing close looks. I couldn't pass up the chance!

Sheepshead Bay is as developed a habitat as any. The Bay is a marina, surrounded by commercial businesses and a major road on its north side, and residences and schools on its south side. It is riddled with mute swans, boats, and unfortunately trash.
But, then there are scaup, mergansers, bufflehead, black ducks, and sometimes the odd black-headed gull or canvasback shows up.

This is a drake (male), and he is handsome! 

Canvasbacks, a great start to a beautiful, (unseasonably) warm day!