Did you know that gardening is the number one fastest growing hobby in the United States? It's true, and do you know what's the second fastest growing hobby in the United States? The answer is birding or bird watching.

Here in Michigan, there are more than 2 million residents who claim to be official birdwatchers. And I happen to be one of them.

I love birds, all kinds of birds. Did you know there are more than 11,000 bird species that have been identified and described?

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One of those birds is called the black-bellied whistling duck and one was spotted most recently at a park in Ann Arbor.

Gallup Park is the place that a crowd of birdwatchers noticed this wild looking whistling duck. In fact, many were very surprised to even see a black bellied duck in this region.

So what do we know about the black bellied whistling duck? Allaboutbirds.org has more information:

The Black-bellied Whistling-Duck is a boisterous duck with a brilliant pink bill and an unusual, long-legged silhouette. In places like Texas and Louisiana, watch for noisy flocks of these gaudy ducks dropping into fields to forage on seeds, or loafing on golf course ponds. Listen for them, too—these ducks really do have a whistle for their call. Common south of the U.S., Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks occur in several southern states and are expanding northward.

I would have loved to have seen this wild looking duck the other day in Ann Arbor's Gallup Park, I'm sure it was spectacular to see.

Here's what one birdwatcher had to say, courtesy of mlive.com:

Lake Orion resident Daniel Bernard said he planned to spend the day birding in Lapeer County but shifted course when he learned about the small duck making a big splash in Ann Arbor.

Speaking of bird watching, my wife and I are going to purchase a bird bath and put it in our garden in the backyard just to see how many different types of birds will show up.

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