Antelope Island Causeway -- Long-Tailed Ducks and Other Good Birds

Antelope Island Causeway

November 23, 2012

Me and my dad decided to head out to Antelope to see if we could find the two Long-Tailed Ducks that were being reported along the causeway. When we arrived it was about 8:00 AM. We started out on mile marker 5 looking for any shorebirds and very surprisingly we couldn't find any (The only shorebirds we saw that day was a lone American Avocet and a group of Killdeer). Our next stop was the Second Bridge. On the way we saw numerous Bonoparte's, Ring-Billed, and California Gulls, a few Eared Grebes, lots of Common Goldeneye and Shovelers. At the bridge we were in for a very nice surprise. We first looked on the North side and found a very late Franklin's Gull mixed in with a group of about 80 Bonoparte's.

 Franklin's Gull

The next good find was 3 Surf Scoters and a Harlequin Duck on the south side of the Bridge.

Grainy Picture of the Harlequin Duck (right) and the Surf Scoter (left)

Also at the second bridge were 2 Horned Grebes and a Greater Scaup. After scanning the rest of the duck rafts to the South (mostly Common Goldeneye, Lesser Scaups, and Redheads), we moved on a little ways down the road by the Marina Parking lot. We got out the scope out and scanned the Goldeneye far out to the North. The first bird I put the scope on just happened to be a Long-Tailed Duck.

This was only my second Long-Tailed Duck ever and a first for the causeway.

This was only the beginning of the Long-Tailed Ducks that day. We went out on the Marina road and scanned the ducks, this time with a much closer view. We turned up 5 more Surf Scoters and 4 more Long-Tailed Ducks. Two of the ducks were males (one immature and one an adult) and the other three were females. (Sadly I spaced getting pictures of the Scoters in the good light because I was so into the ducks)

Three Long-Tailed Ducks 

(The two females right and the immature male left)

We then headed over to Lady Finger point and found yet another male Long-Tailed Duck. 

This was the 7th and Final Long-Tailed Duck of the day.

 All in all, a great day it was at the causeway. A total of 8 Surf Scoters, 7 Long-Tailed Duck, a Greater Scaup, Franklin's Gull, and a Harlequin Duck.