There have been several spins around
Lake of the Lilies this past week...all of these pictures were taken on January 10th.
The temperatures have been spring like here in New Jersey,
I am waiting for the ducks to become confused and arrive early/leave early.
Certainly all of the spring flowers are confused, spring bloomers are up more than 4 inches.
Male Greater Scaup
Both are bulky, robust diving ducks.
I see both Greater and Lesser Scaups but only during the winter.
There were 2 Great Blue Herons, I see these year round.
This is a familiar to many, huge heron, with long legs and neck, and a huge daggerlike bill.
Small, diving ducks that feed on roots and seeds.
Both sexes regularly cock their spikey looking tales.
Another duck I only see during the winter.
American Coot
A dumpy waterbird with long, lobed toes that facilitate swimming.
I see these waterbirds year round but in much smaller numbers in summer.
They do not all migrate.
Female Mallard
This lake is home to a large number of mallards, year round.
As soon as our car stops,
they swim or waddle right over to us.
I believe they have a good memory and remember that we feed them when we visit,
only healthy food for ducks.
Sharing today's story with
12 comments:
You started with two of my favorite waterfowl! You have to get out and watch the male Ruddy's during mating season, they are almost comical!
Hello, Debbie
I have heard many birders say they carry bags of corn in their cars for feeing the ducks. I have not been seeing many Coots around here. I do love all your duck and heron photos. Love the second shot of the Male Greater Scaup and the cute Ruddy duck. Great collection of photos. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a happy weekend. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.
Lovely birds
Healthy food is the ticket! They sure look healthy too!
Lovely variety of birds, Debbie! Great photos, as always!
The Scaups are really nice ducks. I only see them in the winter months here, and they are not regular, so special effort is required to go and see them.
I'm sure I commented on these lovely photographs yesterday!
Did my comment disappear into spam folder ... I wonder ...
All the best Jan
Always beautiful bird photos; I miss seeing them. These are really stunning. I find the Blue Heron to be such a unique bird. The Female lesser Scaup and Male Greater Scaup; I love their names. It's always fun to read little facts about them. I love the difference between the Female Mallard and the Male.
Our weather has been frigid, with more snow than usual, and it is helping out the drought. So we are grateful for that.
Blessings!
You sure have a wide range to photograph, we saw some yesterday in a field , they were too far away to identify but all the white was pretty against the brown fields. A Heron flew right towards us when driving the car, I slowed down worried we were going to collide but he flew above us, something to see it that close.
Yes I have a feeling that plants and animals alike are very confused.
Thanks for taking time to share this post with us at IRBB this week.
~Anni @I'd Rather B Birdin'
Hello Debbie :=)
A nice selection of water fowl, and such lovely sharp images. Loved them all!
These are fantastic! With the exception of mallards, any ducks I've ever encountered stayed well out of range even with a long lens. Love the heron, of course!
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