Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Longtailed Duck

Male Longtailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis), Bond Head

Every winter I look forward to seeing these ducks. Many migrate through Ontario on their way to the Atlantic coast from the Arctic, but quite a few stay right here in Lake Ontario.  I love to hear them chatting with each other in large groups.  But both these fellas were quietly searching for delicious nibbles.


Male Longtailed Duck, Whitby

Sometimes males swim with their tails in the air, but on these days there were no females in the vicinity to impress.

When they are foraging, they can stay underwater for a very long time. I love it when they pop up withing easy range of my camera!
I am connecting to Stewart M's Wild Bird Wednesday HERE



55 comments:

The Cranky said...

Oh my goodness Tina, these are GORGEOUS photos! The beautiful ducks, the stunning colour of the water, and the up-close-and-personal nature of the captures have all come together perfectly!

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

I am so envious that you can get so close to these gorgeous ducks. Stunning shots. very occasionally a few drop into Ireland and in fact recently i saw a number in Donegal but they are ALWAYS far out at sea!!!

John "By Stargoose And Hanglands" said...

Yes, I'm more familiar with little dots far out to sea too. So great to see such fine close-ups.

Revrunner said...

Beautiful creatures.

Mersad said...

I love the color of the water.

Mersad
Mersad Donko Photography

Vanessa Morgan said...

Beautiful bird. And that water is so clear.
Have a lovely Tuesday.

Gill - That British Woman said...

what lovely looking ducks. I bet the females are as plain as dishwater!!

Darla said...

Handsome fellow. The water looks almost tropical but I imagine it is really really cold.

Darla

Amy at love made my home said...

What incredible and beautiful pictures of an amazing bird! xx

Hootin Anni said...

This is an amazing duck!! Love the markings and the eye ring. Beautiful.

Mari said...

I already miss seeing ducks. I guess winter have been long enough. They all migrate from here, I see them back in spring only.

You've caught a handsome one here.

Rose said...

Another duck I had not heard of...and such a strange looking one. So glad you got these wonderful shots till I could see him good.

Unknown said...

Very nice close ups!
I love the colour of the water in the first one and the details of the duck in the second :)
Have a fine day
【ツ】Knipsa

eileeninmd said...

They are pretty ducks, great sighting and photos.. Have a happy day!

Sharon said...

there are so many varieties of ducks, it's amazing. I don't think I've seen this one before.

MadSnapper said...

they are just wonderful and the water, oh my, i could not stop looking at the wet parts of your pics.. awesome water shots

TexWisGirl said...

just so COOL!!!

Linda W. said...

What an unusual looking (but pretty) duck. Nice photos.

William Kendall said...

Quite a distinguished looking bird!

John @ Beans and I on the Loose said...

Great pictures. Nice of them to pose for you.

Lowell said...

Superb photos with great colors and I like they are tack sharp. Beautiful little ducks!

21 Wits said...

Lovely, incredible shades, pretty tones all around.

Shammickite said...

Lovely colouring. I like the white around his eye.

Gattina said...

Very beautiful pictures of the duck !

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

I love to watch the divers, too. It's amazing how well they hold their breath. These are great captures- the water looks so clear!

RedPat said...

I think you have shown us these handsome guys before, no? Your bird pics are so fabulous, EG!

Ileana said...

Amazing photos!

Kathy said...

These ducks, like wood ducks, look like painted decoys until they move!

CountryMum said...

Wonderful photos. The first one looks like he as snow on him! What stunning markings.

cieldequimper said...

I think you need an underwater camera... Hint... hint... :-)

They are gorgeous!

VP said...

Very nice 'portraits'!

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Beautiful duck! Or I guess I should say handsome! A new one to me.

Mary Hone said...

Those are great! What a different look they have.

Louisette said...

Wonderfull color mask of this duck,greeting from Belgium;

http://louisette.eklablog.com/grebe-huppe-podiceps-cristatus-a114631484

Karen said...

A handsome guy, love the colour of the water.

Ginny Hartzler said...

I love the aqua water in these pictures! And wow, what a special duck! I have never even HEARD of a long tailed duck! I would have mistaken it for a pintail. Are they rare? I imagine you can identify them by the distinctive white ring around their eyes.

Kay said...

Lucky you! These are great shots - and what a gorgeous duck! I haven't checked a bird book but I don't think they come our way...I certainly don't think I've seen one.

Valerie said...

Fabulous shots Tina. The white markings around the eyes give them a look of surprise!

Unknown said...

Unusual looking ducks, very colourful, nice shots

Anonymous said...

Beautiful captures.

Celestina Marie said...

These ducks are beautiful and you captured some great shots.
You are very talented with your camera.
Have a wonderful evening.
CM

Randy said...

He almost looks snow covered.

Ruth Hiebert said...

That's a lovely looking duck.

GreenComotion said...

What a beauty, Tina! We sure are lucky to see some of these guys through you!
Have a Beautiful Day!!
Peace :)

Liz Needle said...

What an unusual looking duck. He is quite stunning. You are lucky to be able to catch them on film.

jp@A Green Ridge said...

What a beauty!!!...:)JP

PerthDailyPhoto said...

It never ceases to amaze me how many amazing species of ducks there are EG, merci beaucoup for showing me another beauty.

Unknown said...

Very pretty ducks!

Rohrerbot said...

Incredible!!!!! I would so love to see these ducks up close. Last summer they were sooooo far away! Gorgeous photos. You are very lucky to have them around!

Stephanie said...

He has an interesting looking head, beautiful bird and images!

NatureFootstep said...

I envy you that are able to come so close to them :)

Inspired By June said...

What wonderful markings they have! Would be fun to see one with his tail up, lol! Thanks for sharing!

Lovable Derek said...

You really do make something special of your photos. That's a great shot.

Ducks are always fun of course, until you get their bills.

Have a nice day.

A Colorful World said...

It's a beautiful duck! I've never seen pictures of one before.

Hannah said...

I don't remember seeing this duck before, their feather colors and textures are exquisite! Their heads look like they popped up out of a snow bank, and the white eye rings really pop. The aqua water is amazing too!

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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.