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Friday, March 04, 2011

Friday's Foto

A frequent question that I get from people feeding ducks at our city ponds and lakes is, "What kind of duck is that odd-looking black one?" He's not actually a duck at all, but an American Coot, a member of a family of birds called rails. I'm not sure how the term "coot" came to mean a foolish or eccentric person (usually old), but these birds are amusing to watch. Check out their cool, lobed feet on Michael Castellano's photo page here.

1 comment:

Brenda from Flatbush said...

I love coots! They always seem to be trying hard to hang out with the cool kids--"hey, wait for me!"
Rob, I just saw my 1st Northern Shoveler on Tues.!--okay, my 1st 100 or so...what the heck were they spinning in circles for, just under the surface of Prospect Park lake? Some kind of hatch-out of Shoveler treats? If you could illuminate for my blog readers, I'd be grateful! (Ducks are at end of post:)
http://ayearinthepark.typepad.com/prospect_a_year_in_the_pa/2011/03/scooters-sprouters-shovelers.html

10:45 AM EST

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