Ashbridge's Bay birding - nice birds and a surprise lifer!

I went to Ashbridge's Bay this afternoon with hopes of getting some yearbirds and perhaps a surprise lifer! It was very windy today with scattered clouds - pretty cold in the wind. The wind off the lake was quite harsh today. The usual species were seen today with the exception of my FOY Double-crested Cormorant and lifer Horned Grebe!!


Here's what I saw:

4 Mute Swan
2 Double-crested Cormorant
10 Greater Scaup
5 Lesser Scaup
10 Bufflehead
5 Common Goldeneye
2 Common Merganser
5 Red-breasted Merganser
2 Redhead
2 Gadwall
4 White-winged Scoter
1 Horned Grebe
200 Ring-billed Gull
2 Iceland Gull
20 Herring Gull
1 Song Sparrow
10 American Tree Sparrow
2 Northern Cardinal
2 Red-winged Blackbird
1 White-Breasted Nuthatch
4 Black-capped Chickadee

Here are some shots!

Common Merganser

White-winged Scoters with Ring-billed Gulls

Lesser Scaup! A nice bird to see considering 98% of scaup here are Greater!

FOY Double-crested Cormorant

American Tree Sparrow

Ring-billed Gull

American Tree Sparrow

A coconut? One of three seen today!

My all-time best American Robin shot!

Closeup

Canada Goose

Male Mute Swan

Iceland Gulls! A few are still sticking around through April!

Mute Swans

Female Mute Swan

This Horned Grebe randomly popped up 30 feet from the shore of Lake Ontario 50 or so feet away. I got a bad shot, then   ran towards it. The next time it surfaced, it was 20 feet from the shore and 30 feet from me. Then it dove again, and I ran towards it. This time, I got lucky. It surfaced 5 feet from the shore, no more that 10 feet from me. I just had time to get this shot before it swam away quickly. I only wish it weren't so windy, as I would have been able to get a better shot!

Lifer #184!

Comments appreciated!

-Owen