hi
We were at Grenadier Pond this weekend and saw a female bufflehead close in to shore-- they are very small birds and this isn't always obvious til you see them in relation to something else-- mallards in this case. Females are dark and chestnut, with a subtle whiteish patch behind the eye. Their colouring is nothing like the adult male's bold white and black/ iridescent purple.
We also saw what looked to be two young buffleheads about a quarter of the way to adult male breeding plumage but they were too far out for a good view.
Anyway, highly unlikely that it would be a hatchling though I am happy to be proved wrong-- well not really given that babies in January would be a scary indication of how weird our weather has become.
Julie
