Down By The Sarnia Bay!

A non-breeding adult Red-throated Loon has been visiting Sarnia for the past few days. When we were at Centennial Bay, it swam close to the shoreline. The red neck is not visible as it is "wearing" its "non-breeding plumage" which it will keep from October to April each year. During migration, they fly along ocean shorelines and also along the shores of the Great Lakes, but their precise migration routes are unknown.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-throated_Loon/overview

Red-throated Loons are smaller and more slender than other loons. They have a smaller bill and hold the tip slightly upward. Like other loons, they dive for fish from the surface, but may also hunt from the air. They fly swiftly and are able to stall, pivot, and drop with almost falcon-like precision!!

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-throated_Loon/overview

Thousands of minnows could be seen swimming in schools around the rocky areas.

Many of the fish were so small, they were probably swallowed before the loon surfaced from diving, but a couple of times a minnow could be seen in its bill.

Splash resulting from an "interaction" when a Ring-billed Gull attempted to steal a fish from the loon. The gull did not succeed.

A couple of Black Ducks wandered along the edge of the path. The iridescent violet speculum was visible. Mallards have white edges along both edges of the speculum while the edge is black on Black Ducks.

Black Duck speculum, located on the secondary wing feathers

Female Red-breasted Merganser having a stretch.

Red-breasted Mergansers need to eat 15-20 fish per day, which researchers suggest means they need to dive underwater 250-300 times per day, or forage for 4-5 hours to meet their energy needs!

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-breasted_Merganser/overview

A female White-winged Scoter was another pleasant surprise to see in the Bay!

Although White-winged Scoters winter primarily along the coasts, small numbers winter on the eastern Great Lakes. Populations on the Great Lakes may have declined during the 1970's, but now appear to be increasing in response to the invasion of zebra mussels, a new and abundant food source.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-winged_Scoter/overview