Barrow's Goldeneye in Mille Lacs County
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'Rare Regular' in Minnesota - First record for Mille Lacs County

Possible Barrow's Goldeneye. Comments on this tentative identification would be most welcome.

On Oct 19, Kim Eckert's Minn Birding Weekends (MBW) group studied a possible 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.)

Kim Eckert, photo by David Cahlander