Ruddy Duck

Two Ruddy Ducks appeared on my eBird needs alert for Thurston County, Washington. Several days of searching on Capital Lake had me contemplating the pitfalls of accepting eBird records as accurate. Ruddy Ducks are usually identified by their habit of holding their tails cocked above the water. Novice birders are often unaware that Hooded Mergansers, common on the lake, often share this trait. I should have not doubted the record. On 15 August, I spied a handsome, male Ruddy Duck among a large flock of mergansers. The Ruddy Duck was not even holding its tail in the air. I looked at my eBird records, assuming this bird was my first Ruddy Duck of the year—only to discover I’d seen one in Northfield, Minnesota, on  a frigid 1 January. So much has transpired in our lives since then—selling and buying a house, moving to Washington! This Ruddy Duck, however, does represent my first record for the species in our new home state.