Lars came upon these 5 days ago on Heath Hen Meadow Brook in Stow. The second photo shows a couple of nice belly slides. In the third photo, the wing span is 20 inches, which I managed to measure before my skis cracked through the ice. Why was I standing on the ice of a running brook? To get the shot.... What's your guess as to who left these tracks? I'll give it a day and then answer.
Duck? Duck? Goose? No, wait ... Heath Hen?
ReplyDeleteOh, yeah, none of those left. Final answer: Grouse.
I take it these tracks, slides, and wing marks are thought to be all from the same animal? Looks like the animal was entering and exiting the water. Perhaps some kind of small duck. Although the tracks near the take-off don't look webbed. A crow that was fishing - maybe just going to and from water's edge? Final answer: Platypus.
ReplyDeleteThe tracks are Anas platyrhynchos - from my bad Latin that would be "flat nose." It's the mallard. On several occasions, I have come upon small groups of mallards in this stream bed in the last week or two. I guess they have no other open water with all the ice and snow. These tracks were from a "paddling" (like a "murder" of crows) of about eight ducks that I spooked, thus the belly slides and multiple tracks.
ReplyDeleteIn the nearby Delaney Complex, the open, moving water of early spring attracts multiple migratory arctic birds, looking for that opening in the ice. If you know the spots, it's quite easy to see hooded mergansers, buffleheads and American goldeneye. I can post later if anyone is interested.
Neither water-grouse nor platypus? Oh, well. Good quiz, Lars, and nice shot of that landing impression. I'd like to see the pix you have of the various arctic waterfowl. Post away, please.
ReplyDeleteDarn! I was momentarily overcome with the thrill of victory when I caught a glimpse of that platy- word. Sooooo close. What a bummer!
ReplyDeleteI would have guessed wood duck, but the prints and wingspan are probably too big for that.
ReplyDeleteI didn't think either wood duck or mallard stuck around here for winter (?), but obviously I am not much of a birder.
ReplyDelete