September 17, 2026
A New Painting of ‘The Beast’
A painting entitled "The Beast of State Line Lookout" now adorns the cafe there. The pastel by Laura Sullivan was…

This duck was seen at Phairs Pond on Sunday, and touched off a major identification effort.
Any guesses?
Ah, it’s the fearsome Pileated Puddle Duck, having just won a grueling mud wrestling contest and standing on the back of a submerged American Alligator. (Sorry–feeling kinda crazy–it’s almost midnight and I’m trying to get a bunch of dang calendar photos ready to deliver tomorrow!)
The overall structure looks like a hooded merganser, but I’m not sure that the plumage matches completely.
2 comments
Tom Burr
Ah, it’s the fearsome Pileated Puddle Duck, having just won a grueling mud wrestling contest and standing on the back of a submerged American Alligator. (Sorry–feeling kinda crazy–it’s almost midnight and I’m trying to get a bunch of dang calendar photos ready to deliver tomorrow!)
John
The overall structure looks like a hooded merganser, but I’m not sure that the plumage matches completely.