Yesterday was a beautiful and warm Winter day! The pale watery sunlight or totally overcast skies of the previous several days had vanished, the pond was thawing from its icy covering and ducks were out visiting the pond. It was marvelous to observe! The morning started a little shaky when a Red-tail showed up and settled down on the ground near a Mallard drake with a hurt wing. I happened to notice this odd configuring at pond’s edge and managed to startle the hawk and allow the duck to slip into the water. After that all the ducks seemed to relax and fellow waterfowl visitors began appearing across the pond.
I love seeing all the varied ducks that drop by or migrate via our little pond, as each are distinctive and spectacular in their own way. Yesterday the Gadwalls with their subtle grayish-brown speckled feathers with long black bills and black tail feathers bobbed and dabbled mid pond. Northern Shovelers with their dark green heads and long wide bills swirled in the water and ice remnants stirring up a circle of tasty tidbits from below the surface. Ring-necked ducks- small black and white ducks with a white ring on their bill dove deep for a bite of lunch. And the Mallards in a large grouping lazily floating and occasionally dipping their emerald green heads to retrieve a snack.
I have described the “Mr” Ducks- the drakes, as sometimes identification is done easier through the drake’s coloring than the more camouflaged look of most hens. Gadwall and Shoveler hens have more the coloring of the Mallard hens and the Ring-neck hen is more of a dark brown. Otherwise they match their drake counterparts in look and size. Yesterday however I was able to identify a new duck couple on the pond by the Mrs not the Mr!
Dan had pointed out to me a couple of ducks across the pond he thought looked “hooded”. I looked through the binoculars and told him they seemed to be Buffleheads and as the Buffys do come on the pond sometimes- and were clear across the water- I gave it no more thought. Late in the afternoon I noticed two very small” “shore” birds, one sitting on a low hanging willow branch and the other nearby along the shoreline. Curiosity and the binoculars produced a great view featuring a wild patch of coppery red head feathers and the long thin bill of Mrs Hooded Merganser. I had mistaken Mr Hooded Merganser earlier because of distance and the very visible white patch on the side of his head. But this close up view of both of them was spectacular and special as we have never seen them on the pond before. The Hooded Mergansers are intriguing in looks with their coloring, hooded head feathers and narrow serrated edged bills. I imagine they enjoyed an easy catch and dinner of the plentiful blue gills. Hopefully, they will return to dine on Green Heron Pond again!
What’s going on outside your window? What’s happening in your hood? Winter months at Green Heron Pond…
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