Beautiful Weather Bird

   Today I took my customary trip down to the lakefront to look for rare birds. I was determined to take my time today and not overlook anything of importance. I started at Sterling Lake and Ethel's Woods looking for Greater White-fronted Goose. No go. Then I headed to North Point Marina to check for any number of possibilities. I started by walking down to the far southern point past the locked gates.
This area at the southeastern tip of the marina has great rocky shoreline for Harlequin Ducks or Purple Sandpipers. Unfortunately neither were present. It also happens to be an excellent spot for watching lake birds fly by or for scanning the lake for waterbirds. As I was scanning I saw large numbers of RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS both flying and in the water. As I was watching a small group of these birds fishing with some gulls, I noticed 2 birds close by but separated from the group. They looked shorter bodied and chunkier with big heads. This could be interesting, so I increased the magnification to 50x and was able to see the white cheeks, triangular head, brownish neck, and the best field mark, the bright yellow dagger-like bill of 2 RED-NECKED GREBES!!!! An excellent bird for Lake County and Big Year bird #261. Woohoo! The lighting was excellent and I was fortunate to have such good looks at a high magnification.

                                             Red-necked Grebe internet photo