[at-l] A question about birds in CT on a river

[AThiker at smithville.net (Felix)]

David Hicks wrote:

>What can you tell us about head shape/size?  More rounded like an Goldeneye, 
>or longer and pointed like a Merganser?
>
>Bill shape?  Thick at base and wide, like a Redhead, or more thin and pointed 
>like a Merganser, or ski-jumpy, like a Canvasback?
>
>Were both members of the pair rust-headed or just one of the pair?
>
>What about the wing and/or body color?
>

I'm goin' on memory now...My first guess was a merganser. They were 
large and seemed to have that long, sleek head/face. I seem to think 
that there was no difference in color between the male and female, 
though. Both seemed to be red/rust-headed. The male mergansers in my 
books all have greenish heads. (It is NOT a hooded merg.)  Is the winter 
plummage of the male similar to the female?  I don't think it was  a 
Redhead or a Canvasback because the heads I saw were more 'subdued' rust 
than the orange/red of those two. And, the bodies were fairly large. I'm 
thinkin' either a common or red-breasted merganser...I just didn't know 
if they'd be on the Hoosatonic in December.    (Sly...Loons are too dark 
to have been what I seed.)