Tuesday, March 12, 2013

American Wigeon/Wild Bird

Male American wigeon (Anas americana)

At least one large flock of American wigeons spent the winter on the north side of Lake Ontario. My husband and I could see them out in the lake but Friday was the first time I was able to get this close. Isn't the male handsome in his breeding feathers?

Side view of male

American wigeons are nice looking dabbler ducks but they are not always nice. They sometimes steal vegetation from diving ducks when the divers come up to the surface.

Female

Wigeons are most often seen in marshes and wet grasslands.

I am joining Stewart M's Wild Bird Wednesday HERE

43 comments:

Cindy said...

Very handsome male and beautiful female. First time I've seen these ducks.

Buttons Thoughts said...

So it is not a very nice bird but it sure is pretty works for me:) B

Anonymous said...

Beautiful, such detail!

MadSnapper said...

love all the details of the feathers..

Janet said...

Quite striking!

Darla said...

Such detailed photos. Just look at natures designs. What a pretty bird.

Darla

Lowell said...

These little things steal veggies from other little ducks. Hey, a wigeon's got to live, too!

You certainly got some very fine photos - I esp. like that first shot--it's so clean and crisp and shows off those breeding feathers very well!

Jill said...

They are darling!

Sweet Woodruff said...

Breathtaking and beautiful as always. Ducks are a favorite.

TexWisGirl said...

very pretty! nice shots!

Kathy said...

Great closeups!

Karen said...

Handsome ducks, and great shots!

Anonymous said...

I've never seen this duck, although, it does share some similarities with mallards, both male and female. Very nice looking ducks!

Muffy's Marks said...

Beautiful ducks.

Susan Anderson said...

I always love looking at your close-ups of birds. Never realized how truly beautiful they all are.

=)

Stephanie said...

Nice details on the feathers.

The Cranky said...

Absolutely gorgeous! I'd seen these lovely fowl before but never knew what they were called until now.

Thanks so much for your encouraging comment.

Cheryl @ TFD said...

I'm always amazed at the beautiful markings on most ducks. This pair is beautiful!

LONDONLULU said...

I love their unusual (to me) pattern, a sweet ducky pair today!

RedPat said...

I've never seen these guys! Great shots.

Snowcatcher said...

Truly a beautiful bird. Interesting about them stealing food from diving ducks.

Pamela Gordon said...

This is a new duck to me and I think that both the male and female are attractive, although the male more so. Nice captures!

Ruth Hiebert said...

Gorgeous portrait of that male. Oh my goodness,this picture is so lovely.

Jack said...

I like your first photo. Widgeon ducks? I have not heard of them before.

mick said...

Great photos of beautiful ducks.

eileeninmd said...

The Wigeons are pretty ducks, great shots of the male and female.

Gail Dixon said...

So pretty! Lucky you to get so close. I saw this duck when I lived in Texas, but not since. I need to see if they winter, migrate, or live around here.

HansHB said...

Lovely photos, nice to see!

Wally Jones said...

Very nice photographs! These are pretty ducks, despite their bad habits!
We only see them here in Florida during the winter.

NatureFootstep said...

I think both male and female looks gorgeous. This is a very small duck, right? We have a similar one but it will take at least a month before they arrive.

Grandma Barb's This and That said...

The male is a handsome fella and she is very pretty. great photos!

42N said...

Wow, absolutely beautiful photos. Great work!

Kusum said...

Very beautiful bird, similar to mallard?

George said...

These are great portraits of these ducks. It's just too bad they are not always nice.

Gillian Olson said...

Great close ups, I never realized they sometimes steal food from other birds.

Carletta said...

He is handsome in his many patterned plumes and she is quite lovely too in her brown finery!

Indrani said...

Very detailed lovely captures.

Unknown said...

Beautiful!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

i stora drag said...

Nice to see your ducks! They looks a bit like ours in Sweden.
Greetings Pia

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Just an elegant duck! And your pictures are perfect.

Esther Joy said...

What interesting ducks! I've never seen any that look anything like that! Southern Arkansas, especially Stuttgart, gets many ducks that winter there. I need to visit there sometime and check out all their varieties!

Stewart M said...

Great bird.

If they are like the ones in the UK they make a wonderful whistling call.

Cheers and thanks for linking to WBW

Stewart M - Melbourne

Rose said...

Another that doesn't look quite real!

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East Gwillimbury is a rural town less than an hour north of Toronto, Canada's largest city. My family calls me CameraGirl because I take my camera with me wherever I go.