Barrow's Goldeneye in St. Louis County
2011-12-15

'Rare Regular' in Minnesota

Drake Barrow's Goldeneye (Bucephala islandica) at Canal Park, Duluth, 15 December 2011. This bird was first found in the Duluth Harbor 18 November 2011 and remained there through at least the 29th, but with the advent of cold weather in early December most of the harbor froze and the goldeneyes began gathering in the shipping channel at Canal Park. The Barrow's was first spotted at Canal Park by Karl Bardon on 11 December and it was seen there again today amongst nearly 200 Common Goldeneyes (B. clangula). Both sightings at Canal Park have been mid-afternoon. If the pattern from previous winters holds true, the goldeneyes will continue gathering and feeding in the shipping channel until it freezes. At that time, or whenever they are disturbed by ships using the channel prior to the end of the shipping season in mid-January, they will likely congregate along the Duluth lakefront between Leif Erikson Park and 21st Avenue East, and sometimes farther east along the North Shore depending on ice conditions and food availability.

This is probably the same adult male returning for the fourth consecutive winter with recent documented records of adult males as follows: 1 November 2008 – 8 March 2009 (Loon 81:8); 17-22 November 2009, 19 December 2009 Duluth CBC (Loon 82:103, 82:1112), and 16 March 2010 (Loon 82:103, 82:162); and 12-13 November 2010 (Loon 83:91-92) and 8 April 2011. Digital image by Peder H. Svingen.