Dam Birds!

Tee-hee...that's fun to say...dam birds!

Actually, I did see some dam birds. At a real lock and dam.

After running around the open fields of Confluence State Park, I ran over to the Melvin Price Lock and Dam outside of Alton, IL. I was so surprised to see dozens of people watching the birds fishing from the turbulent waters of the spillway. People! It's freezing out here! What are doing? (The same thing I'm doing! :)

A trio of Herring Gulls

What at show! Dozens of gulls flying every where! How exciting! Most of them were Ring-bills, but there was one species that was out of the ordinary for me, sporting pink legs and an orange dot on its lower bill. HERRING GULL! NEW SPECIES, WHOO-HOO! That was a nice surprise.

And....

....he got it!

The best part of the show, of course, is seeing the American Bald Eagles fishing. Wow! I think there were about six of them swooping around. That is what draws the crowds. They are right there in front of you, with no fear. It is ALWAYS a privilege to see Bald Eagles. I don't care how common they are becoming here in Missouri.


I also saw a large flock of Goldeneye's floating around, but they were too far away for me to determine if they were Common or Barrow's. Surely, they were Common, but who knows (only those with scopes!)