I went down to Saylorville this afternoon to chase a MOTTLED DUCK reported by Steve Dinsmore. Getting there around 2:30 PM, it didn't take long to find the suspected bird. At the distance I was at and with the afternoon heat shimmer getting worse, it was quite difficult to photograph. Here are 2 less-than-ideal photographs, neither records-committee worthy I fear:
If accepted, this would represent Iowa's 2nd state record of Mottled Duck. The first state record was found 3 years ago almost to the day. What's more bizzare, todays bird was nearly in the same location as the 1st state record!
