Diving Ducks at Discovery World, Ross's goose at Washington Park

Lake Park birders,

Ducks and geese continue to migrate through Milwaukee. As posted on
Wis Bird Net, many more are migrating through the wetlands and lakes
in Columbia and Portage Counties.

--- Paul Hunter,
http://home.roadrunner.com/~phunter1/lakeparkbirds.html
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Subject: Diving Ducks at Discovery World
From: Petherick Chris <cpetherick AT me.com>
Date: Tue, 24 Mar 2009 01:09:16 -0500
I made a stop at Discovery World on Lake Michigan today and took a
look just south, starting directly south of Discovery World and then
walking to the new park/beach further south (sorry, I don't know the
actual names). In the pool directly south of Discovery World I came
across a Common Loon that was swimming and diving and then made it's
way under the bridge into the second pool. There were also Red
Breasted Mergansers there. I came across a pied billed-grebe, lesser
and greater scaups, redheads, herring gulls, ring billed gulls,
Goldeneyes, 2 buffleheads and 2 song sparrows in the second and third
pools south of Discovery World.

The green winged teal was still at the Coast Guard Impoundment as of
this afternoon as were lots of scaups and redheads. I couldn't
identify any ring billed ducks there, however. I also saw a Red
tailed Hawk land on a light post in the ferry parking lot.

Chris Petherick, Milwaukee County
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Subject: Ross's goose at Washington Park, Milwaukee
From: "Jym Mooney & Carol Lee Hopkins" <hopmoon AT milwpc.com>
Date: Mon, 23 Mar 2009 18:51:32 -0500
I got a tip that a "snow goose" had been found at Washington Park this
weekend, and went over to check it out this afternoon. The more I
looked at
this bird, the more I became fairly sure it is actually a Ross's
goose. It
is noticeably smaller than the Canada geese it is hanging around
with. It
has a rounded head, and, most importantly, a small, triangular,
bluish bill.
I ran home for my scope so I could get a better look at the bill.
There is
a hint of a grin patch, so a hybrid Ross's x snow can't be ruled out.
However, a true snow goose would have a much larger bill, and an obvious
grin patch.

This goose is grazing along with the Canada geese on the sports playing
fields on the northeast corner of Washington Park.

Jym Mooney, Milwaukee