[mou] possible Barrow's Goldeneye at Mille Lacs

[Kim R Eckert]

Yesterday, Oct 19, my Minn Birding Weekends (MBW) group studied an  
apparent Barrow's Goldeneye, either a male in eclipse plumage or a  
juvenile male, at Wigwam Bay in Mille Lacs Lake. The exact location  
was by the rocks just offshore at the junction of Mille Lacs Co Rd 25  
& U S Hwy 169.

The tentative ID was based on a combination of field marks: the black  
line across the white wing patch (visible at rest and in flight), the  
head and bill shape, and the dark brown head with no hint of rusty  
coloration. Unfortunately, there were no other goldeneyes present for  
direct comparison, and the differences between goldeneyes in this  
plumage are subtle. (Because of the bright and clear "golden" irides,  
I suspect this was an adult male in eclipse plumage, rather than a  
juvenile male.) Some of us took field notes on the bird, and Dave  
Cahlander took several digital photos, so perhaps some of these will  
appear on the "Recently Seen" section of moumn.org.

The details of this sighting will be submitted to the MOU's Records  
Committee who will, of course, determine the status of this record. My  
apologies in the delay in posting this sighting, but I wanted to first  
consult some ID references after I returned home to reinforce my  
impressions of the ID.

Besides that Golden-crowned Sparrow the MBW group saw this past  
weekend, other species of interest seen at various locations in the  
Leech Lake-Lake Winnie-Mille Lacs area included: Cackling Goose, Black- 
bellied Plover, Sanderling, Pectoral Sandpiper, Franklin's Gull,  
Caspian and Forster's terns, Black-backed Woodpecker, Northern Shrike,  
Orange-crowned Warbler, Vesper and Harris's sparrows, and Evening  
Grosbeak.

No unusual loons were found, although we did make a point to study  
Common Loons showing well-defined white flank patches (often  
considered a diagnostic field mark for Arctic Loon) or up-tilted bills  
(some consider this diagnostic for Red-throated Loon). Be aware,  
however, that any species of loon can sometimes show these same  
features.

Kim Eckert