American Coot

I saw a bird you do not usually see hanging out in this area, an American Coot. It was all by itself on the Hudson River. It was hanging near a group of Mallard ducks, but not too near. Whenever it got too close, they chased it back. The mallards had noticeably bigger bodies than the coot. No other coots have been seen with this one.

We are in the upper part of their non breeding area for this region. I am guessing this is one born last year, who is not ready to mate yet or does this one somehow know about the fires? I believe the mating region is in Canada.

It seemed busy eating aquatic plants. The first few times I went, I never saw it get out of the water. All three pictures in this post were taken on different days in different lighting conditions/ times of day.

When I went late this morning, I hung out for a while. It finally walked out of the water and onto the shore this area has during low tide. It was worth the wait. His legs looks like lizard legs. American Coots are not considered ducks. I’m sure their legs and feet are one of the reasons why.

I was not sure what I would get out of this trip, knowing it was late morning to noon. That is usually not a good time because of lighting. Next time don’t let that hold you back. There are things to see even during poor lighting conditions!

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