Winter's Wealth of Waterfowl

American Wigeons rest and preen on Red Alder logs. Flocks of dozens to hundreds of these handsome ducks winter on the waters and fields of the west coast.

January is not a great month for outdoor photography in western Washington. The average day is wet and gray, de-saturating the already drab colors of the winter landscape. I’m sorry to report that this January I’ve not used my camera a single time. But, in Januaries past what has often gotten me out to shoot are the many duck species that grace our waters. So, I’ve gathered some favorite duck pictures from the archives to share with you.

Most of these images were captured at Union Bay and other parts of Lake Washington in Seattle. The diversity of ducks around the lake and it’s associated marshes is very impressive. In fact, it represents most of the fresh-water duck species found across North America. This post will cover a handful of them, including both winter migrants from the north and year-round residents.

Ducks are broadly divided into two categories based on their foraging habits. There are the dabbling ducks, who gather food at or near the surface of the water, and diving ducks, who pursue prey below the water’s surface. Here I share four species of dabblers with you, and seven divers.

A pair of Green-winged Teals relaxes as the sun settles into the horizon. Catching these two in this wonderful light was a highlight of my first winter with a DSLR and a long lens, back in January of 2015! I could do better now, but I still like this image. Green-winged Teals are a favorite of mine. The namesake speculum (wing patch) is seen here on the female. The same metallic green graces the male’s head, along with a rich chestnut brown. Green-winged Teals are the smallest North American dabbling duck, at just over half the size of a Mallard.

The ubiquitous Mallard is particularly abundant here in winter, when year-round residents are joined by migrants who breed in the north. Those migrants, like all of the others in this post, come south because the northern ponds and lakes freeze. The rare snow that made for such a nice background in this picture can be a major hardship for ducks when it’s cold enough to freeze our lakes and ponds. These mallards were actually photographed recently in Duvall, where I live now. Here in the country, where there is duck hunting, they are understandably very skittish. But in the city they become more comfortable with people. That tolerance combined with their large size makes urban ducks great subjects for practicing bird photography. The rest of the images in this post are examples of me doing just that.

A male Gadwall warms his bill and breath, while his mate comments on the weather. Wet and gray of course! Female Gadwalls look similar to Mallards, but notice the white, rather than blue, speculum, and the steep forehead.

A giant Black Cottonwood log in his path gave me a rare view of this Northern Shoveler’s orange feet! The huge, top-heavy bills of these dabblers give them their name. Shovelers are filter feeders. Their specialized bills take in more water, and thus filter out more seeds and tiny plants and animals from it.

A pair of Hooded Mergansers sit in the rain between dives for fish. This is our smallest and most distinctive Merganser species.

A female Common Merganser enjoys some dry time, presumably with a belly full of fish. The “common” in the species name is belied by the elegant beauty of this distinguished lady. Her thin bill can be quickly opened and closed under water, and its edges are serrated to grip the slippery skin of fish.

The male Common Merganser is very distinct in his breeding/primary plumage, but his summer molt will leave him looking almost exactly like a female. Bald Eagles will go after about any bird on the water, but diving ducks have an advantage over dabblers in their escape. I have seen Common Mergansers disappear into the water as an eagle tried to grab them. I’ve also seen Mallards, dabblers, chased at full speed through the air by eagles. Most likely the pursuit began when the eagle tried to take the duck on the water’s surface, and flight was their only means of evasion.

Moving briefly to salt water now, to show the other North American species of Merganser. This male Red-breasted Merganser was seen on the Salish Sea, aka Puget Sound, from the downtown Seattle Waterfront. During winter they fish all of the North American coasts, but like so many ducks, geese and swans they breed across Alaska and Canada. Seen up close like this the males of this species and the Common Merganser can be distinguished pretty easily, but the females are more similar to each other. Mergansers seen on salt water are more likely Red-breasted, and those on large bodies of fresh water are more likely Common. Hooded Mergansers prefer ponds and marshes.

Ring-necked Ducks are divers who breed in boreal waters. While those waters are frozen they live in warmer parts of the US and Mexico. Notice they don’t have thin bills like mergansers. These ducks dive for mollusks and other invertebrates, as well as some plants. Females, who must be camouflaged while incubating eggs, have the earth-toned plumage.

This Lesser Scaup looks very pleased with himself. He’s about to swallow a freshwater mussel whole. His powerful gizzard will crush the shell, enabling his stomach to digest the flesh inside. Lesser Scaups are regular winter visitors, but less abundant in my area than their close relatives, the Ring-necked Ducks. Greater Scaups are seen too, but even less than the Lesser.

Here a pair of Lesser Scaups scan the sky for eagles, which is a prudent move for birds on Lake Washington. Notice that while her plumage is different than the males, the shape of the female is essentially identical.

Here we see a trio of Common Goldeneyes, with a female Bufflehead in the background. If you’re not already familiar with Goldeneyes can you guess the genders of these ones? Small groups of Common Goldeneyes are a regular sight on our lakes in winter. Occasionally a few Barrow’s Goldeneyes are seen with them. Common Goldeneyes can be sen across the lower forty-eight, but only in winter.

A Bufflehead drake (male duck) catches some rare winter sunshine as he cruises the shallows of Lake Washington for mussels and snails. They eat various invertebrates, and some plants, depending on the specific habitat and time of year, but winter lake fare is primarily mollusks. This photo, taken in January of 2017, is still one of my favorite bird pictures that I have taken. Buffleheads are quite small for ducks, and if you move towards the shore they tend to move away from it. Also, the iridescent colors seen on this drake’s head are barely visible if at all in the overcast weather that predominates here in the winter. So, when this guy swam right by me while I was enjoying the sun on a dock I was thrilled.

“I don’t follow the crowd.” Every winter a few Eurasian Wigeons end up with flocks of American Wigeons, particularly on the west coast. The females are hard to distinguish, but this Eurasian Drake’s reddish head stands out clearly next to the green eye patches of his American companions. Wigeons are dabbling ducks, but they also regularly forage like, and with geese, grazing grasses and other tender green plants.

That’s it for this edition, folks. Thanks for joining me. I hope you found some beauty here, and learned a thing or two about ducks. I have plenty more duck pictures, and could say lots more about them. If that sounds good to you please let me know in a comment below, or by responding if you’re reading this as an email. If you would like to join my mailing list you can do so here: https://www.geraldlisi.net/ Take good care of yourselves, each other, and the lands you live on. Until next time!