Last weekend, Jared and I took a trip to the southern Maryland coast primarily to see one bird, the Barrow's Goldeneye. This pretty duck breeds in northwestern North America, but can also be found in scattered locations in eastern Canada and Iceland. It's definitely a good find for Maryland!
Jared took this photo through his scope
The Barrow's Goldeneye looks very similar to the Common Goldeneye, which I will post about another time. Males are white with a black back and head, and a crescent-shaped white spot on the face.
Another photo Jared took through the scope (its the one with the white bars on its back)
When we arrived at the location of the Barrow's Goldeneye, some other birders confirmed that they had just seen it far off in the water using a scope. Jared soon found it in a large group of other birds, but I was not so lucky. Time and time again, Jared found it in the scope, but it had either dived or moved away before I was able to pick it out. Finally, after pouting in frustration for a few minutes, I grabbed the scope after Jared announced that he had a clear view. And, there it was! I was able to make out the white crescent marking on its face, one of the distinguishing characteristics. It feels great to get a good look at a bird, especially after so much effort.
Also, just like its name, the Barrow's Goldeneye does indeed have bright yellow eyes. This unfortunately is not my photo, but I wanted to show you what one looks like up close.
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