Who gives a Hoot about a Coot?

BONNERS FERRY — A crisp morning breeze turned the waters of the Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge into a corrugated surface of sparkling silver. I had arrived early and found many geese, and ducks loafing in the morning sun. I was in search of Tundra swans who look regal with their brilliant white bodies and elegant long necks, but instead I saw a group of birds that looked like the opposite of a swan, which I didn’t give a hoot about. But I started to study the bobbing dark big balls about two-thirds the size of a mallard, with strange Ivory bills and foreheads. There were eight of them acting like they owned the pond, squabbling and chasing each other noisily.