Hi folks,

I briefly stopped by Luhr Beach in Thurston County (basically across from Nisqually NWR - end of the boardwalk) late this morning. There were two large rafts (approx. 150 birds) of Common Goldeneyes on the water which I unsuccessfully searched through for a Barrow's Goldeneye which I need for my list at that location. What was striking was the makeup of the group - all but 4-5 of this gathering were males, many of whom were doing their courting display of throwing their heads back. Hmmmm...150 males and maybe 5 females. Not very good odds, fellas!

Not sure how common this situation is, or what the reason(s) for it might be, so hopefully some of the waterfowl experts on the list will chime in.

John Tubbs
johntubbs AT Comcast.net
Lacey, WA
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