Waterbirds and tits in winter

Now, it is freezing not just during the night, but also during the day.

Only small bits of open water left in the river Rhine. Near the drawbridge, in such a bit, eight great crested grebes, a few tufted ducks, mallards, and coots. Black-headed gulls and herring gulls on the ice.

A bit further, two mute swans swimming in a narrow space.

In trees near the frozen water, a long-tailed tit and a great tit.

This video is about an intelligence test for a great tit.

Birders in Florida have been excited about a rare guest at the Viera Wetlands: a masked duck. This boldly colored diving duck is common in Mexico, the Caribbean and South America, but rare vagrants do appear in Texas, Louisiana and Florida. According to Birder’s World, the bird appeared at the Viera Wetlands in late December and has remained content to forage through the reed beds.