ML614869101

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One beautiful male bird. A Lifer for me! About 50 meters from me but good enough ID views through my 10X binoculars. Chased after fish in the shallows of the Nagara River from about 300 meters east of Godobashi Bridge and up to below the golf practice range. Best viewed from the concrete-sided south bank of the river. This is a First Record for Gifu City and this species has not been seen in Gifu Prefecture since February 2013 when it was last seen on a river in Kani City. Extra Notes: The shallow water with pebble banks are an ideal location for this species and this bird avoided the deep and fast- flowing part of the Nagara River. Also, mid February is the peak period to hope for this species. This bird was smaller than the four female Common Mergansers that it sometimes associated with. It shape was similar to Red-breasted Merganser but lacked the chestnut-colored breast. I saw it fly in once and the wing pattern was most similar to Red-breasted Merganser. Even from a distance, the most strikingly noticeable feature was its long spiky crest. The head usually appeared black but in sunlight, it shone with emerald green. When snorkeling in the shallows chasing after fish, the crest was always above the waterline and looked like a shark’s fin. When the bird was viewed through a camera viewfinder at close magnification, the plumage was a beautiful intricate pattern in black and white - including the attractive scales pattern along its flanks. I supply my smartphone location photo with the bird in the distance and also photos taken by my friend Kakumori-San and used with his kind permission.