A Spectacular Assemblage of Waterfowl
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:
White-winged Scoter First Winter Male
Red-Throated Loon Non-breeding
Long-tailed Duck Female Preening
Long-tailed Duck Female 2 Swimming
Long-tailed Duck Female Displaying
Long-tailed Duck Female 1 Swimming
