Coots
Right before Christmas we were on our way to the grocery store in Rockland and drove past Chickawaukie Pond. Being close to the coast it is one of the last ponds in the area to get a winter coat of ice. This morning it was partly skimmed with ice with several open holes along route 17. The other unusual thing about Chickie is that for some reason a flock of American coots gathers there in the late fall each year. Coots are not unusual in most of the country but that is the only place I have ever seen them in our area.