Posted Feb. 6, 2014 @ 7:31 am in Wicked Local Arlington. Accessed 2014-02-16.
http://arlington.wickedlocal.com/article/20140206/News/140208036

By Kathy Johnson. Arlington, Mass.

On a recent visit to the Alewife Reservation we stopped at one of our favorite spots, very close to my home for wildlife water viewing. The bridge over the Little River at the Route 2 access road east to the Alewife 'T' and to Cambridge Park Drive often has a sampling of fascinating water birds, the occasional river otter or turtle, or more often, common carp fish, often displacing the Alewife that come in May. Pedestrians remark "who is around today" and I try to describe what I have seen. Water birds enjoy cruising the Little River to feed or to travel to farther spots up or downstream and some return in the late afternoon. Upstream, they go to Belmont's Little Pond and Cambridge's Perch Pond where some prefer to spend the night.

Today, we saw the usual breeds of beautiful mallard ducks, some have crossbred with wood ducks or black ducks. Young geese, now approaching their first year are feisty and proud to out-swim parents and other adults, honking as they go and departing as a flock with the slightest provocation. Recently, my companion spotted a crested swimming bird, then a second reddish one, like nothing we had ever seen during all the years I have visited the Reservation.

Although these brilliant beauties are small, to me, they resemble animated movie characters, one with a large black and white crest, and one female with red tufts pointing from back of her head, Mohawk style and fully spread, with striped backs. I was able to get a couple of photos and continue to investigate.

No luck researching, so I sent the photos to Friends of Alewife Reservation, Ellen Mass. She contacted an Arlington Menotomy birder who identified them as "hooded mergansers," a duck seen in previous winters on Little River. They are not uncommon at this spot said Ellen. It is a discharge area for the city, and may be finding high nutrients as well as pollution-based materials. It's been there before.

George McLean, noted wildlife and award-winning photographer said mergansers were more common farther north and may come here when it gets too chilly for them, all of which information was validated for me on an Internet search: "They eat small fish, the males have black crowns, the females more likely cinnamon, similar to the pair we saw. They scoop and dive to feed, and often have 10 or more offspring in a clutch. They are common in Northern climates." So far we have seen only one pair, but it is possible more are around the wetlands or other duck areas.

Kathy Johnson visits the DCR Alewife Reservation every day and shares her observations with the Friends of Alewife Reservation, which will be shared with Advocate readers on a weekly basis. (article)