Migrant

Yesterday, we ventured out to North Park lake to catch some rare rays of sunshine. The lake was almost entirely frozen. Only near a dam there was an ice-free area where several Canada Geese congregated. One was even sitting on the ice as if it were breeding. Near the geese my husband spotted a duck-like bird. It swam around the ice-free water but did not come close enough to take a good photo of it. I did take some record shots because otherwise we are never able to identify strange birds once we get home. This one, with a white stripe and outline on its bill and a "bump" on its head, flubbergasted us. Only after we looked through several bird books did we identify it as a ring-necked duck. We learned that this duck only spends time here during migration. I guess this one got an early start on migration and took a breather at the lake.
On the backyard front, I wished that the bird count had been last Saturday because I spotted over a dozen cardinals near out feeders. The worse the weather, the more birds we get. However, a couple weeks ago I heard and then saw several red-winged blackbirds. Migration must be around the corner!