ML631826453

Observation details

Initially I called this bird a Common Merganser. There were 6 birds in bright light and I could not see them adequately for the details. On the bird in the photo, I noticed the white wing patch which I didn't think appeared on Hooded merg. I changed the ID to merganser species after seeing other photos of female Hooded Mergansers standing on ice from this same location. It may be a Common or it may be Hooded merganser. Also, the river and lakes were full of Hooded Mergs but I did not see any other Common mergs. For me evaluating this photo, the strongest ID is Hooded merg because of the relative petite size of the bill as it appears in the photo. Waterfowl are very nomadic right now, so I didn't know if this is even significant.