Pulling into the Essex ferry dock this past Wednesday I was surprised to witness a huddle of birders and reporters huddling at the gallows. A quick conversation (during a frigid ferry ride) later I had the story but not the good fortune of viewing a Tufted Duck.

Birders and reporters pursuing Tufted Ducks in essexny today. Apparently a sighting was documented… http://t.co/BHjodRVXbr

— George Davis (@virtualDavis) March 5, 2014

The reporter explained that he had come up from Albany for a rare chance to see a Tufted Duck. I’d never heard of the regal sounding bird. It turns out that the Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula) is an infrequent visitor to our Champlain Valley. The medium-sized migratory duck is more commonly seen in temperate regions of the United Kingdom, Europe and Asia.

Tufted Duck Spotted & Photographed

Essex resident Emily Phillips pointed toward Adirondack Avian Expeditions‘s (central Adirondacks) Facebook page to see lots of dreamy photographs of Tufted Ducks taken at the Essex ferry dock by Joan Collins on February 28 and March 1.

Late this afternoon (2/28/14), I found the male Tufted Duck at the Essex Ferry Dock location on Lake Champlain (NY side). I am posting 14 of 80 photos I took with my scope and iPhone adapter – both zoomed all the way since it was far out! Some of the photos show the Tufted Duck eating something large. Other photos show the bird resting with part of its tuft sticking up like alfalfa! I only had about 5 to 10 minutes before the ferry arrived and flushed (hundreds) of birds from the channel – they came back after the ferry left. My hands were completely numb on this bitter cold day! ~ Joan Collins

Joan agreed to let us publish some of her photographs to help you spot Tufted Ducks, though she was not thrilled with the quality of the images. Given that they were captured via scope and mobile phone, I think that they are impressive. And, like impressionist watercolors, they awaken the imagination!

I was helping a VT man and his young daughter with identification tips for the Tufted Duck as I was leaving the ferry area the other day. For the Tufted Duck, you look for bright white sides and a black back (the male Greater and Lesser Scaup have a grayish back). There are quite a few waterfowl species at the ferry, and the one closest in appearance to the Tufted Duck is the Ring-necked Duck. The Ring-necked Duck has different bill markings – a white outline on the bill. Also, the Ring-necked Duck has gray sides with a bright white “spur”. For some reason, the male Tufted Duck at the Essex Ferry area has only a weak looking “tuft”! If you have a field guide, you can look up the markings – or use an online guide such as the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s “All About Birds”. It can be difficult to pick out one bird from hundreds of others – especially when they are far out on water!  ~ Joan Collins

Who needs a field guide when you can rely on firsthand coaching from a local expert? Here are a few more photographs taken at the Essex ferry dock by Joan Collins.

Joan Collins is a licensed bird guide, writer, and speaker. You may be able to join one of her guided walks or presentations through Audubon, the Adirondack Mountain Club, and the New York State Ornithological Association. You can contact her directly via the Adirondack Avian Expeditions’s website www.adirondackavianexpeditions.com and the Adirondack Avian Expeditions Facebook page.

Special thanks to Emily Phillips, Joan Collins and Lake Placid based nature conservation photographer Larry Master (www.masterimages.org) for use of the Tufted Duck photograph at the top of this post.