Allegheny Duck Crawl
Let's Find Some River Ducks!
I didn’t always love winter. Midwest winters are tough, and the short days and lack of sun used to get to me, not in a crippling depression way, but more of a “blah” way. Birding changed all that. Getting outdoors with the birds every day, no matter how fowl 🙄 the weather, worked wonders on my mental health. When we lived in East Lansing, Michigan, I was lucky to have some decent sized lakes and wetlands nearby, including Lake Lansing. In winter, that meant ducks. Lots of ducks, ducks with funny names like scaup, scoter, and wigeon, sometimes by the hundreds, all swimming together in interspecies harmony. I fell in love with ducks in the winter of 2020 when I realized how many kinds there are, how different they are, how maddeningly similar they can be, how bonkers some of them look. It was then I became determined to learn about a bird family I had long neglected, including one duck in particular who captured my imagination (see this week’s featured photo👇).
Ducking in Pittsburgh is a bit more challenging. With its three rivers, there’s no lack of open water, but I suppose for a duck traveling long distances, nearby Lake Erie’s food supply is more tempting. Here big mixed flocks are infrequent. Here you have to really work to find the ducks. With duck migration now in full swing, I thought it would be fun to pick a river and do an inaugural duck crawl. I chose the Allegheny River because it’s convenient to home and I’ve gotten familiar with its hotspots. I had eight stops in mind. Some of them are pretty funky, such as…
Stop 1—Pine Creek behind the Burger King and Dunkin’ Donuts
I started my morning at this Allegheny tributary not because I fancied a coffee and a cruller, but because the local Mallards really love to congregate on Pine Creek behind the Burger King and Dunkin’ Donuts. I was unlikely to find any migrating waterfowl, who are more discerning and eschew chain eateries, but this spot was worth a try for the elusive American Black Duck, who, like many of its fellow Americans, won’t say no to a Whopper.
On this day the only signs of life were some lounging Canada Geese and some scant traffic in the drive-thru lanes. I didn’t want to spend much time dodging goose poop, but I was rewarded for five minutes of patience when a Mallard couple swooped in and landed gracefully on the water. I botched my photo, but here they are!
Mallard fact—Mallards are mighty breeders who will mate with many ducks outside their species. They’re also known to cross with domesticated Mallards, resulting in some curious specimens like this guy in the middle.
Stop 2—Sharpsburg Marina
Sharpsburg Marina was my first actual stop on the Allegheny. During migration, there are usually some cool ducks to be found at Sharpsburg. Upon arriving, I ran into John, a fellow birder who informed me he’d spotted a pair of Hooded Mergansers. That was good! Hooded Mergansers are crazy looking and super photogenic. He also informed me he spooked them when trying to take a picture. That was bad. Fortunately they returned not long after he drove off. Assuming they liked me better, I gloated silently and aimed my lens in their direction. Unfortunately, that spooked them once again. Far, far away the pair landed, soon to be joined by seven more, alas, too distant to photograph.
No matter! My spirits soared moments later when someone attempting to hide in a nearby flock of Mallards could not hide the conspicuous, blueish bill of an American Wigeon. Please, experts, correct me if I’m wrong, but I suspect this is an immature male due to the white patch on the forehead that looks to me like the beginning of the adult male’s signature white crown. He wasn’t skittish, and he allowed me to capture his gorgeous chestnutty, chocolatey plumage as he dabbled with the Mallards.
American Wigeon theory—Wigeon is a curious word. Some etymologists trace the word back to an arcane French vigeon, which means to whine or cry, perhaps a nod to the shrill call of its European cousin.
American Wigeon fact—Because the drake’s white crown gives it the appearance of advanced pattern baldness, the American Wigeon was once known as Baldpate, which would be an apt name for me as well 👴🏼
Stop 3—Six-mile Island
Contrary to its name, nearby Six-mile Island is pretty dinky. This stop, at the crumbling site of the former Crow’s Nest eatery and marina, gives a better bird’s eye view of some of Sharpsburg’s hard-to-see spots. Sure enough, from my dubious perch…
…I was treated to another quartet of Hooded Mergansers, this time close enough to photograph.
Useless Hooded Merganser fact—My younger son Santiago is not a birder yet, but he’s obsessed with this one picture of a nesting Hooded Merganser. He calls it the “cute duck” and frequently demands to see it.
Useful Hooded Merganser fact—Hooded Merganser chicks leave the nest within 24 hours of hatching, already able to swim and feed themselves, quite unlike my younger son Santiago.
Stop 4—Aspinwall Riverfront Park
Aspinwall Riverfront Park is a nice, tidy place for families to recreate that occasionally gets some good birds but more often kind of sucks. I included it on my route because it’s a quick and easy stop and because I found a flock of Surf Scoters there once. This time all I found was a quintet of Mallards dabbling in the most disgusting part of the waterfront.
Mallard fact #2—Mallards, like American Wigeons, are dabbling ducks, meaning they don’t dive, instead dunking their heads in search of pretty much whatever they can find. They will also famously grow accustomed to being fed. Do not feed them bread! It’s bad for them. Consult this article to learn what Mallards can safely eat.
Stop 5—Chapel Harbor
Along with Sharpsburg, Chapel Harbor is probably the most reliable of the duck stops on my itinerary. On arrival, I was a bit disappointed to see a raft of what appeared to be only Mallards. It often pays to look at every bird, however, because sometimes there’s an oddball in the flock, like this wee Green-winged Teal. This wasn’t the best photo I took, but I’m featuring it here because it’s the only one I got with a visible sliver of green on the wing.
Green-winged Teal fact—Green-winged Teals are not monogamous. The male is outta here once the incubation process starts. That may sound coldhearted, but it’s good to remember they’re not humans and therefore don’t adhere to human values. It’s also good to remember that monogamy is often a human value in name only, so let’s not get judgey with the ducks.
Stop 6—Bell Harbor
Bell Harbor is a stop I should make more often because there’s usually an interesting bird there. That wasn’t the case on Monday, until I hiked a ways upriver and found a pair of Common Mergansers in one of the marinas. My camera battery died shortly beforehand, so this is the godawful photo I got.
Fortunately, I got somewhat better shots at Chapel Harbor the week before. Is this the same pair? Could be!
Common Merganser fact—Like its Hooded cousin, the Common Merganser is a diving duck, meaning they fully submerge in search of food. If I were fluent in a Merganser’s tongue, I’d ask what horrors they’ve seen in the depths of Pittsburgh’s rivers.
Stop 7—Gulf Lab Road Wetland
The GLRW is near but not on the Allegheny River. I added it to my route because it’s close to Bell Harbor and I’d never been there. With its surroundings developed all to hell, this was the funkiest of my funky stops, badly in need of a Big Trash Day.
Mostly frozen over, a Mallard and three Canada Geese were the only waterfowl to be seen in this trash-strewn wasteland of a wetland. House Sparrows abounded. So did ugly gray buildings. The highlight of this stop was leaving.
Stop 8—Highland Park Bridge
In my experience, the Highland Park Bridge is not great for ducks. And the Highland Park Bridge Overlook isn’t anywhere you’ll find me once the sun goes down. But I got a Northern Pintail there once, and the bridge and surroundings are always loaded with gulls, so I enjoy schlepping my scope down to the riverside and trying to pick rarer species from the hoards of American Herring Gulls. The only ducks I spotted were very distant and appeared to be exclusively Mallards, except for two conspicuously darker birds I suspect was a pair of American Black Ducks.
American Black Duck fact—Another dabbler, Black Ducks look annoyingly similar to female Mallards. They’re also annoyingly tough to find around here. Do I dislike them? No. I only dislike American Pipits. Black Ducks are wonderful, and it’s a real joy when one emerges from a sea of Mallards.
Thus ended my first Allegheny Duck Crawl. Six species of duck isn’t going to blow any minds, but it’s early in duck season, and I’m hopful some inclement weather will push more ducks down into the local waterways over the course of the winter.
Happy ducking!
Featured Photo—Canvasback
What is it about a Canvasback, the big duck with a small personality? From what I’ve seen, they seem content to float and dive in a manner I’d call languid. I’ve never heard them vocalize, and in studying their sounds, I’m not missing much. There’s just something to them—their quiet elegance, their shape, their color, that piercing red eye…I even love the name. Canvasback. I photographed this drake at Sharpsburg in March last year, and I haven’t seen a better bird since.
10/10 Recommends
I’m not a hunter, but I can appreciate the artistry that goes into carving a beautiful decoy. Tom Taber created loads of gorgeous decoys in his lifetime, many of which can be found on eBay, Etsy, and other such places around the internet. It’s not easy to find biographical info on Taber, but I gather he was raised in Michigan in a family of avid sportsmen and was taught the art of decoy carving from an uncle. He learned well. Behold the stunning Canvasback my wife Alex bought me last Christmas 🎄🎁 🦆
John, whom I mentioned above, is a terrific local birder I’m always happy to encounter around the county. He’s also a fantastic photographer. Follow him on Instagram and be treated to gorgeous bird photos, including the occasional Green-winged Teal! 📷 🦆
That’s all for this week. Do you have a favorite duck, duck spot, or duck story you’d like to tell? As always, share in the comments!
Until next time, bird your anas off! (Duck fact—anas is Latin for duck.)
nwb
Excellent storytelling and wonderful ducks. Very refreshing to read another writer with clear passion for waterfowl. They don’t get enough love.
Beautiful decoy. I have a couple carvings of ducks. The artistry of decoys is insane. I’ve whittled ducks, never decoys—that much detail is worlds past my skillset. A decoy on a bookshelf is tough to beat.
The Canvasback is lovely. Favorite duck—that’s so hard to pick!