Barrow's Goldeneye

 

Another cool visitor to the Sarnia area this winter was a Barrow’s Goldeneye.

I had observed this species when we travelled to Alaska but this was a first for me in Lambton. It was found by local birder Matt Parsons and eventually seen by many birders. This very low light distant image was the best I could manage in my attempt to photograph the bird.

A small, stocky diving duck with a large, oddly shaped, oblong head. The bill is relatively small and the forehead relatively steep compared with a Common Goldeneye.

Adult males are snow white below, smartly patterned with black and white above. At close range the head has a purple gloss. The eye is bright yellow with a white crescent between the eye and the bill. Females are grayish with a coppery head and a partly or mostly yellow bill. Cornell All About Birds