I had a good morning walk around Schoolhouse Pond today.  There were lots of waders present or moving through and I got looks at a Common Moorhen towards the back of Schoolhouse Pond in the usual location with the Wood Ducks.  However, this bird seems duller in plumage, with significantly less red in the bill than the bird I had seen (and photographed) regularly in the same general area throughout this month.  I've seen a moorhen at the rear of the pond each of the last few days, but took a closer look at the bird this morning, and unlike what I observed on prior days (where the bird had a bright red bill), this bird appeared duller overall in plumage with a dull yellowish-green bill.  As best as I could tell through binoculars, the moorhen had only a faint reddish wash to the bill, with the overall color being decidedly greenish-yellow.  

I didn't see a second moorhen fitting the description of the bird seen previously over the last several weeks (with the bright red bill), so I am unsure if this is a second bird (possibly a young bird or female) or if it is the same bird that is showing a transition into nonbreeding plumage. However, a span of a few weeks seems awfully fast to see that big a change in the color of the bare parts of one bird.   The moorhen general stays with the Wood Ducks at the rear of the pond, but can be obscured by the vegetation and difficult to see depending upon what it is doing.  Typically the bird is in view only when it is upright with neck extended.  I saw the bird again at lunchtime today with my scope and confirmed that it does have significantly more yellow (and less red) on the bill than the bird I had previously photographed.  The scope views showed that the top (ridge) of the bill is mostly yellow, with red being restricted to a dull wash on the sides.  The moorhen(s) has now been present at the pond for approximately 3 weeks.  

There was also an incredible flock of 18 flyover Great Egrets (plus one Great Egret on the margin of the pond) this morning.  The flyovers were fairly high in the sky heading to the northwest.  Other waders included 3 Great Blue Herons and 7 Green Herons.  Other birds seen or heard included 1 Yellow-billed Cuckoo and 1 flyover Laughing Gull.

Fred Shaffer

Crofton, Anne Arundel