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 Any South Flying Visitors To The Marina ?		  New Topic  Topic Locked
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OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3477 Posts
Initially Posted - 11/26/2006 :  16:27:25  Show Profile  Visit OLarryR's Homepage
Last year at this time and again this year, I noticed that with the leaving of those swallows, etc dropping the turds on my boat, a new arrival shows up. It's kind of like a duck but has a beak like a bird. I have been scouring the bird books for a long time trying to figure out twhat this visitor is and believe it is an American Coot.

It stays almost all the time in the water waddling around with the other ducks...that look like ducks. But this duck/bird has a small beak that is all whie and then has a body similar to a duck but all black. The ducks that are common to my area, never left for the winter. They are what seem to be the garden variety duck...has a beak like a duck, waddles like a duck, quacks like a duck...it is a duck. But the new arrivals are quite puzzling as I never saw this type of duck before except in my marina. I took a photo of it but it was too small in the photo. If I get a chance, I'll try and get some nice size photos of the winter wildlife.

Any interesting arrivals in your neck of the woods ?

By the way...it was 60-65F yesterday and today with lows in the high 30s. I was out sailing both days - light winds. Today, I finished my battery charger mounting and did some maintenance items.
Larry
'89 Robin's Nest#5820, Potomac River/Quantico, Va
http://catalina25.homestead.com/olarryr.html
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Bubba
Admiral

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USA
542 Posts
Response Posted - 11/26/2006 :  18:19:27  Show Profile
Sounds like American coot.
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OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3477 Posts
Response Posted - 11/26/2006 :  21:38:06  Show Profile  Visit OLarryR's Homepage
YES !! That's the duck/bird that comes to visit us from November to Springtime !
Thanks for taking the time checking it out.
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Sloop Smitten
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1181 Posts
Response Posted - 11/28/2006 :  09:18:32  Show Profile
More commonly known as a "Mud Hen". Toledo, Ohio has a minor league baseball team named after them, the "Toledo Mud Hens". If you watch "MASH" reruns you will catch Corporal Klinger referring to them often as his hometown baseball team. They also have green legs and feet. Their feet are not webbed like a duck but have small lobes on them which resemble growths. And if I'm not mistaken, the only bird that can produce 10 lbs. of droppings for every 1 lb. of food they eat.
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osmepneo
Past Commodore

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USA
1420 Posts
Response Posted - 11/28/2006 :  09:52:03  Show Profile
The coot is an interesting bird. They don't swim particularly well, or fast. They don't fly very well, or fast, and they waddle, not very fast. So, when an enemy comes to the coot refuge area, the coots sound warnings and get into a flock very, very close to each other. Then they appear bigger then they are, and the enemy goes away. Certainly safty in numbers.
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OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3477 Posts
Response Posted - 11/28/2006 :  12:55:34  Show Profile  Visit OLarryR's Homepage
thanks for all the info !

I do not recall seeing them out of the water or even taking flight. They seem to waddle around similar to the ducks at the marina.

As far as droppings go....I have not any micr-inspection of this concern ...and does not seem to be a concern at least for my boat. i have been using the CDs, beachball with big eyes and the owl for keeping the swallows away and it basically turns my boat into a 3 ring circus but at least makes it a colorful spectacle. now that the swallows seem to have left, i am not using the CDs strung above the lifelines for at least the winter months. The beachball strung from the furling lines at the bow and the owl from the end of the boom, i am still using. Not one bird turd since I started with these items during the summer months.
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Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.