fulica (coot) americana (of America)
Wednesday, May 30, 1979 — 4:30 pm
Ottawa National Forest, Michigan — Black River Harbor
As my girlfriend and I were looking at the grackle, I noticed a black bird swimming along the weedy shore of the river downstream from the bridge and about 200 yards from Lake Superior.
As it swam, its head bobbed back and forth. I had no idea what it was and had to search through my field guide to find it. This was one of the very few times in my birding life that I saw a bird and had no clue as to its identity.