thegreenjay's Journal

The Irondequoit Bay outlet (also known as the Irondequoit Bay Marine Park and north end of Irondequoit Bay) near Rochester, NY can be a great place to observe and photograph waterfowl. Although it is not one of the official Rochester Birding Association birding hotspots, a number of field trips make stops there. The best time to go is from late fall to early spring, say from November through March. During the rest of the year, it can be really dull with nothing but Mallards, Canada Geese, Mute Swans, and the common gulls. In winter, the bay often becomes frozen over and lacking in other waterfowl, but large flocks of gulls can be seen roosting on the ice, including occasional rarities. Perhaps the best time to see ducks, loons, and grebes is in March, after the spring thaw has begun, and the bay is still mostly frozen, but the channel leading under the outlet bridge from the bay to Lake Ontario has open water. Under these conditions, great numbers and varieties of these birds are concentrated in the small area of the channel. The outlet bridge can be very handy for getting from one side to the other (fortunately, it has pedestrian lanes), and also, it can make a good observation point. Often, waterfowl swim under the bridge, seemingly oblivious to humans only a few feet above them. The outlet bridge is in place from approximately November 1 through March 30. At other times, it is swung out of the way to make room for boats.

On one magical lucky day (Friday, March 13, 2015), I saw and photographed Red-throated Loon, Red-necked and Horned Grebes, Red-breasted Merganser, Common Goldeneye, Greater and Lesser Scaups, Redhead, Canvasback, and White-winged Scoter, all in about an hour. Some were remarkably close. Ring-necked and Long-tailed Ducks were visible, but out of camera range. And of course, there were Mallards, Canada Geese, Mute Swans, and gulls. Conditions were ideal, since it was sunny and mild without much wind.

Over the years, this has been one of my favorite spots for observing and photographing waterfowl and occasionally other birds, including a few rarities such as Tufted Duck and Common Eider.

To get there, take I-590 north until it ends at Sea Breeze Drive. Take the latter all the way to the end. Turn right onto Culver Road. You can park in any one of several lots just before you get to the outlet bridge.

The iNaturalist.org website doesn't make it easy to add older observations to a journal post. I figured out a way to do it, but it takes a lot of work and some coding. Below is a list of my 46 photos of 24 bird species from the irondequoit Bay outlet with links to the observation pages:

Wood Duck Male

White-winged Scoter First Winter Male

White-winged Scoter Male

White-winged Scoter Female

Tufted Duck Male

Trumpeter Swan Juvenile

Snowy Owl Juvenile Female

Ring-billed Gull

Ring-billed Gull 2nd Winter

Redhead Male Resting

Redhead Male Swimming

Redhead Male Diving

Redhead Female

Red-Throated Loon Non-breeding

Red-necked Grebe Non-breeding

Red-necked Grebe Breeding

Red-breasted Merganser Male

Red-breasted Merganser Female

Long-tailed Duck Female Preening

Long-tailed Duck Male 1

Long-tailed Duck Male 2

Long-tailed Duck Female 2 Swimming

Long-tailed Duck Female Displaying

Long-tailed Duck Female 1 Swimming

Lesser Scaup Male 2

Lesser Scaup Male 1

Brant 2 Swimming

Brant 1 Swimming

Brant Standing

Horned Grebe Non-breeding

Greater Scaup Male 2

Greater Scaup Male 1

Greater Scaup Female

Dunlin

Common Redpoll 2

Common Redpoll 1

Common Merganser Female

Common Loon Non-breeding

Common Goldeneye Male Adult

Common Goldeneye First Winter Male

Common Eider Female

Canvasback Male

Canvasback Female

American Black Duck Swimming

American Coot Pair

American Black Duck on Snow

Birding can be a bit slow in the summer, but it still has its moments. I take periodic walks in my neighborhood just for a bit of (fresh?) air and exercise. Often, I am drawn to Lac de Ville, a man-made drainage pond that is only about a quarter of a mile from my house in Brighton, NY. It is not very impressive in appearance, being only about 1/8 mile long by 1/10 mile wide. Mostly, one sees Mallards, Canada Geese, and Ring-billed Gulls on the water or nearby. However, on one unforgettable late July day in 2017, I saw:

•A Caspian Tern repeatedly circling over the pond and diving into the water.
•A Belted Kingfisher diving into the water.
•An Eastern Kingbird diving into the water. This was quite a surprise, as I had never seen this behavior previously. However, I later found a YouTube video showing similar behavior. I’ve also seen phoebes, which are in the same family as kingbirds, behaving this way. Probably, all of these birds were trying to find food in the water: fish in the case of the tern and kingfisher, insects or other invertebrates in the case of the kingbird.
•There was also a Great Blue Heron present at the same time trying to catch fish.

Earlier in summer 2017, there was a female Wood Duck with 5 ducklings at the pond. I first saw them on May 31, and they continued to be present until well into July, at which time the ducklings were about as big as their mom. I don’t know where they nested. The pond is surrounded by streets, houses, and professional offices. There is a sizable shopping plaza nearby. There are no duck boxes that I know of, but there are a few small clumps of trees that might have a cavity suitable for nesting.

Other birds of interest I have seen at this pond recently include Green Herons, Pied-billed Grebes, Double-crested Cormorants, Buffleheads, Horned Grebes, and Hooded Mergansers. Years ago, I saw Common Nighthawks foraging over the pond and a pair of Canvasbacks.

This pond was created in the 1980s for drainage purposes, and I’m sure the builders did not have wildlife conservation in mind. However, because of its purpose as a drainage pond, it will probably not go away anytime soon, and wildlife has taken advantage of it, sometimes to the distress of the neighbors. The sidewalks nearby are often littered with goose and duck droppings, and the birds sometimes block traffic when crossing the street. The pond is managed to some extent with aerators that keep down the growth of cattails and other aquatic plants and may help to promote the growth of fish. There is often a fishy odor in the air, and I once saw a cormorant with a bullhead too large for it to swallow.

It is probably a measure of their desperation for suitable habitat in a human-dominated world that so many birds make use of this pond. Although this is a sorry situation, I am glad that it is here. It adds a bit to the quality of life in a neighborhood that seems somewhat sterile. An upscale house for sale recently boasted its location on the pond as one of its attractions.