Have you ever watched a Northern Shoveler swimming in a lake?
It is quite fascinating.
I have seen and photographed them in the past,
but never noticed the swimming pattern I have observed this winter.
Firstly, they swim in couples...
and they swim in a pattern, 15 feet in one direction, then 15 feet back, always in the same area.
It is an unmistakable duck, due to its long, flattened bill.
Males and Females are dissimilar.
My book says they are widespread and considered to be fairly common,
this is a duck I see only during the winter.
The other odd behavior I noticed
was that they keep their bill just under the surface of the water while they swim,
rarely picking it up.
They don't stop moving.
These pictures were taken at Lake of the Lilies.
The lake freezes, thaws and freezes again...on this day, most of the lake was thawed.
20 comments:
I wonder if they are eating or drinking or both while their bills are under water. Or does that give them an advantage to their movement in the water. Gorgeous pictures of them. It is great to see one with his head out of the water to see the shape of his bill.
Lake of the Lilies is a real treasure in your area, Debbie. You see such wonderful birds there. I love the shovelers though I haven’t noticed the swimming pattern you describe. I wonder if that huge shovel ever gets in their way?
Love these guys, but haven't seen any yet! The bills are very cool and they use them to sift food particles as they swim. The yellow eyes really pop on the male's green head.
Hello, Debbie
Great post and info on the Shovelers. Their bill is like a shovel, staying in the water and shoveling food into their mouths. Wonderful photos. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a happy weekend.
I have never seen such birds around here. They are very beautiful. Thanks for sharing the photos.
Nice pics of the Shovelers. Interesting that you don't see them often with their heads out of the water. Pretty green color on the male.
It's so much fun to watch birds and critters. I love the colors of this duck and wonder if we've seen one here. Enjoy your weekend. Stay warm!
Very cool, I wonder if they are skimming for food instead of ducking under like the others do, great pics of them!
You have had time to do some good observations of these guys. I have never seen one.
A lovely series of photographs showing the Northern Shoveler.
All the best Jan
Very lovely pictures. You get to see them in winter and I look forward to once again seeing them in spring and summer.
I have never seen this duck before, so I looked it up. They are feeding, when their bill is in the water, for seeds and little aquatics creatures. You took some really nice photos of them.
Such pretty photos. I've never seen these - how nice to be able to watch them. Nature is amazing!
Really beautiful photos. How much food could they possibly be gathering with their bill just under the water? Wonder if they're instinctively dodging snakes or predators with that zig-zag swimming? Yvonne seems to have done some homework for answers. I love to see ducks flying in to land in the water at a nearby city pond. They look like water skiers with their feet out front to skim and land. Linda in Kansas
I haven't seen any here. Interesting ducks.
Interesting behaviour of these ducks. Beautiful pics!
My daughter took me for a ride yesterday to find the Lake of the Lillies. Now I know where it is. We also had to Check the ocean to make sure it was still there.. you would understand that. It was. Lots of beautiful ducks there.
hi linda, yes, i think that is theory, that is how they gather food.. still they swim in what i call an odd pattern, but it was super fun to watch!!
Fantastic bird photos again. You amazing me with your photography. These ducks are beautiful. I think it is very interesting how the male duck is very colorful compared to the female. I always love your thoughts on them.
Hugs!
hi ruth...i am so happy i peaked your curiosity and that you enjoyed a safe trip outside home. i'm so happy the ocean was still there!!
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