Wandering Coot

This evening as I merged onto S Clearview Pkwy from  the Earthardt Expressway, I was very surprised to see an American Coot in one of the water retention ponds.

Although coots sometimes occur on these ponds during migration and winter, I have never seen one here between May and September, when they are normally only found outside town and in much smaller numbers than the rest of the year (the large majority leave us for parts north).

My guess is it was not an early migrant, but a wandering member of the breeding population.  At this time of the year some of the local nesting species do start to appear out of nesting areas, either young hatched earlier in the spring/summer that are now striking out on their own, or locals adults that had not found a mate or had finished nesting.

But not usually coots!

Peter