Male redhead (Aythya americana)
Friday was a blustery cold day (see yesterday's post) and several varieties of ducks swam and fished together on the lee side of the pier at Bond Head on Lake Ontario. I was excited because this was the first time I had gotten this close to redhead.
Male greater scaup (Athya marila)and female longtail
In the same group were common scaups and longtails. I was amazed to see how well the ducks seemed to get along together.
Female greater scaup and (plop!) a common goldeneye (Bucephala clangula)
Here you can see that a goldeneye dived in just as I pushed down on the shutter button.
Male common goldeneye
White-winged scoter (Melanitta fusca)
But the most exciting duck to come along was this male white-winged scoter (also known as the velvet scoter). They are not very common here. He's not likely to win a contest for good looks, is he?
I am joining Stewart M's Wild Bird Wednesday HERE
44 comments:
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Cute photos of ducks did, especially the first is great. Yours.
I don't think I would enjoy swimming in that cold water as much as they appear to be doing!
I have to say I'm with Kate on this; a potential Polar Bear clubber I will never be.
I love their shiny heads! :)
i like the different colors of the heads, i have not seen red before..
The handsome make Golden Eye looks like he has on a bird tuxedo.
Darla
I'm always amazed at how ducks can stand that cold water.
I'm very impressed with your knowledge of the various varietys, all beautiful looking birds.
They look so happy! We have a large flock of Golden Eye Ducks that winter over in the pond by our house. They show up in December and leave in March.
A great assortment of duck CG! They always seem to be enjoying themselves don't they? Beautiful shot of the Redhead, I always feel lucky when I come upon one of them. But the White-winged Scoter is a real find! Of course the Common Goldeneye is a dapper looking fellow, as are the Barrow's Goldeneyes.
the scoter is so cool! i would LOVE to see a redhead! my favorite wooden decoy carving is a redhead.
Lovely photos of the different ducks swimming! Some of these I have never seen before. It's nice to watch them swim and dive.
Greetings Pia
Great series of Ducks!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.
Golden Eye...A James Bond duck? ;)
Love the Golden eye and the Scoter oh what am I saying I LOVE them all. Great shots. B
The common goldeneye is gorgeous! That last one is...er...interesting. smiles. Love them all!
These are wonderful pictures. The Scoter may not win a beauty contest,but sure would be a good one to add to my life list.
Terrific ducks EG!! I might have to wander towards Lake Ontario when the weather gets warmer.
He may not win good looks contests, but he sure stands out from the crowd - so unique! Lovely ducks all lined up:)
A lovely plethora of duckies!
My fave is the goldeneye, and who doesn't love a redhead! ;)
Amazing water fowl, I've not seen seen a Scaup yet. From Findlay
Great serie of photos!
Lovely ducks!
You should be very proud of these photos. They are extraordinary and a glimpse into an avian world that most of us will never see - what a wonderful set of photos!
I don't know if you've ever seen Chris' website but I think you would find it most interesting. Check it out here:
http://chrisphotonature.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=2&Itemid=6
An interesting series with great views of the different ducks.
Wow! Beautiful shots!
These are wonderful shots, all the more so when I imagine how cold it was. And they remind me that the warmth of a down jacket sometimes comes from duck down. . .
What a great day you had!
Wonderful collection of ducks! I love the Goldeneyes and the Redhead!
pretty little ducks.
The different varieties of duck migrate together here and they seem to get along fine until mating season, then all bets are off. Our lake is frozen so the ducks here are gone except one. I don't know why he is still here, if he was sick or injured or if his mate was and he stayed with her, but he is here all by himself. He comes daily to where I have food for the ground feeders so I have started putting out duck food for him. I hope he makes it through the winter ... he seems pretty hardy. Fingers crossed :) Great pictures ...
Andrea @ From The Sol
This is a really nice series! It must be cold because even the ducks seem to be shivering!
What a nice variety!
I think it's pretty neat to have this wide variety of species in the same general area. You got some neat pictures.
Nice to see there's some open water for them./
Cute little swimmers you caught there.
Lovely!
What a variety...and such good shots. Most of the time, I can't get within a hundred yards of the ducks out at the strip pits...and they are in flight by then.
They are gorgeous critters, I love the close up of the male common goldeneye.
hugs
Léia
Great set of ducks.
We have a duck called the Hard Head which is very similar to the redhead.
Cheers and thanks for linking to WBW
Stewart M - Melbourne
Such beautiful ducks! Love the Goldeneye.
The redhead reminded me of the hardhead too. The last one is a bit odd looking. Interesting post.
The redhead reminded me of the hardhead too. The last one is a bit odd looking. Interesting post.
Beautiful Ducks you have.
Gosh, you make me want to go out and walk our river in search of waterfowl! Maybe this weekend...
Why are ducks so appealing? They can be tough customers!
=)
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