aythya (seabird) affinis (related to)
Wednesday, March 19, 1980 — 5:30 pm
Barrington, Illinois — Crabtree Nature Center
I agonized over these birds. They were swimming in Crabtree Lake near some Ring-necked Ducks. Were they Lesser or were they Greater? Their heads didn’t appear to be rounded, and in the fading light, I detected a purple sheen on the head of the male. After much deliberation, I identified them Lesser.