I was in full blown afternoon snooze-recline when the phone rang. It was UA-Fayetteville sophomore MITCHELL PRUITT at Lake Fayetteville. He was looking at FIVE SURF SCOTERS. So why agitate a guy in his peaceful snooze? Surf Scoters are big sea ducks and a big deal in the Arkansas birding community. We all want ‘em, but we can’t have ‘em unless we get lucky. They nest in either Alaska or northern Canada. Yesterday they were part way on a southward migration. Next stop, maybe the Gulf of Mexico. Scoters here underscore (1) ecological importance of stop over habitat like Lake F; (2) need for us to defend environmental integrity of such places. I have included an up-close-and-personal Surf Scoter from spring migration (2011) and yesterday’s big five. Sorry, not-up-close out in the middle of Lake F.
Posted on: Sat, 26 Oct 2013 11:08:47 +0000