Little Gull and Merganser at White Rock Lake

This past weekend I went to White Rock Lake to see the new visitors that were being reported. I had never seen the Little Gull and the only Merganser I was yet to see in North America was Common Merganser. 

I was going through the ebird report to see if there was interesting sightings at one of my favorite birding spots in Dallas and I saw these birds were getting reported for last few weeks. So planned to try my luck. 

First went early to the Spillway area on the lake to look for the Little Gull. There were "Bonaparte", "Franlin", "Herring" and "Ring Billed Gulls" everywhere. It was tough to find a long Little Gull among them. I had never looked at the legs of the birds so closely. I had to use the distinct reddish legs of Little Gull to identify the bird. At last I found one whose legs looked a little Dark/Reddish. I still have to get it confirmed. After watching the Gulls did a quick walk around the Hatchery area to see the other birds. 

Little Gull?

Franklin and Bonapartes

Ring Billed Gull

After this I went to the Winfrey Point on the WRL to see if I can find the Merganser that we being reported. When I reached at around 10AM there were some "American Coots", "Mallards", "Northern Shovellers", "Blue Winged Teals", "American White Pelicans" and "Cormorants". I did see some "Rudy Ducks" and "Pied-billed Grebes" too and lone Wood Duck flew in to swim among the other ducks. After sometime I did see a lone "Cinnamon Teal" flew in to join the other Blue Winged Teals and Shovellers. At around 11:30AM the merganser showed up. It was amazing to see the bird. It was a lone bird swimming by itself away from the boardwalk. I felt lucky to have seen both the birds which I came to see.

Northern Shoveller

American White Pelican

Cinnamon Teal

American White Pelican

Pied-billed Grebe

Common Merganser

Wood Duck 

Monk Parakeet

While returning home saw an adult Bald Eagle fly over and settling on one of the big trees near the Arbotoreum. Still waiting to take a decent picture of this majestic bird and the wait continues :-(

ebird : https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S54327574

Birds seen during the day.

1. Blue-winged Teal  
2. Cinnamon Teal  
3. Northern Shoveler  
4. Gadwall  
5. Common Merganser
6. Pied-billed Grebe  
7. American Coot  
8. Killdeer  
9. Least Sandpiper  
10. Spotted Sandpiper  
11. Bonaparte's Gull  
12. Little Gull
13. Franklin's Gull  
14. Ring-billed Gull  
15. Herring Gull  
16. Double-crested Cormorant  
17. American White Pelican  
18. Black-crowned Night-Heron  
19. Yellow-crowned Night-Heron  
20. Red-tailed Hawk  
21. Red-bellied Woodpecker  
22. Monk Parakeet  
23. Eastern Phoebe  
24. Blue Jay  
25. Carolina Chickadee  
26. Tufted Titmouse  
27. Carolina Wren  
28. Hermit Thrush  
29. Northern Mockingbird  
30. Cedar Wawing  
31. Dark-eyed Junco  
32. Yellow-rumped Warbler  
33. Northern Cardinal