(Please see picture gallery below – if you have any pix please send to sheilaelliot@yahoo.com)

March Bird of the Month – American Coot 

From Ben Kolstad’s article in the March Kite: “

Although you’ll hear many spectators at our local wetlands boardwalks call these birds “ducks,” you of course know better: the bird of the month for March, American Coot, is the last of our trio of “chunky swimming rails.” Coots (

Fulica americana) have an all-white bill and forehead, which distinguishes them readily from their cousins the Purple and Common Gallinules. From the Cornell Lab’s website, allaboutbirds, “When swimming they look like small ducks (and often dive), but on land they look more chickenlike, walking rather than waddling. An awkward and often clumsy flier, the American Coot requires long running takeoffs to get airborne.”

Come to our March meeting to hear more about this fascinating bird from our expert, Clive Pinnock.

(Photographer’s please note that next month’s April 2014 Bird will be the White Ibis)