Special Visitor to Bitter Lake

A Long-tailed Duck came through to visit Bitter Lake this summer. He is the light-colored bird in the pictures, and he has been hanging out with the Ruddy Ducks, which is the duck with the bright white spot on his face. What is so amazing about his visit is that he came all the way down from the high Arctic. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, this duck’s breeding grounds are up along the northern edges of the continent, and even along the coasts of Greenland and Siberia. They spend the summers along the coast, but not tropical coasts! They visit seaside coasts in Canada and the northeast United States. The Long-tailed Duck is an amazing diver. They can dive up to 200 feet, where they catch invertebrates and small fish. We hope our visitor made it back to colder climes and deeper waters but are grateful for his trip to New Mexico. Continue reading the August 2026 Newsletter