Saturday, March 8, 2025

Saturday Critters #586

On this day in Spring Lake I saw a lot of  
Red Breasted Mergansers
A slim diving duck, it looks a bit like the Common Merganser but is smaller.
Both sexes have shaggy, spikey crests rather than a sleek head.
dives frequently looking for fish.

I only see the Mergansers during the winter.

I think this is a female with a female Hooded Merganser nearby.


These are both female, I don't know if I saw or photographed any males.
The males heads are dark green and they have a very distinctive white ring around their necks.
Did all of the girls desert the boys?





These are diving ducks...more often than not, I get this!

Sharing today's images with Eileen at 
Viewing Nature With Eileen 
for Saturday Critters


12 comments:

eileeninmd said...

Hello Debbie,
Wonderful photos of the Red-breasted Mergansers.
They are pretty diving ducks. Thank you for linking up and sharing your critter post. Take care, have a great weekend.

DeniseinVA said...

I love your photos Debbi, so sharp and clear. Looks like you had fun taking them and that comes through in these beautiful shots. Have a great weekend!

BeachGypsy said...

Love the fun duck photos! Happy weekend! It's a sunny pretty day here 🌞

The Furry Gnome said...

We used to see Red-breasted Merganser families frequently in my northern canoeing days. Just one family per lake, the young ones swimming along all in a line behind the parents.

RedPat said...

It would be such fun to watch them diving. Super shots as you usually show us!

MELODY JACOB said...

What a lovely sighting! Red-breasted Mergansers are such fascinating ducks, especially with their spiky crests. It’s always interesting to observe their diving behavior—sometimes they seem to vanish just as you’re about to snap a photo! I wonder where the males were hiding that day. Thanks for sharing these wonderful captures!

I hope you are having a great weekend. You are invited to read my new post: https://www.melodyjacob.com/2025/03/the-breathtaking-adventures-we-had-in-glencoe.html

Thank you

Anonymous said...

Aww nice sightings and photographs Debbie, thank you.

All the best Jan
https://thelowcarbdiabetic.blogspot.com/

Marie Smith said...

Love mergansers. They look like they need their top notch feathers groomed.

Shiju Sugunan said...

Wonderful photos of the Red-breasted Mergansers! They're such elegant birds.

Jim and Barb's Adventures said...

That disk butt is usually what I get when photographing them. You got some awesome shots there. It will not be long before you start seeing some other waterfowl as they make their way north!

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

It really is a challenge to take good bird pics! You did great and look at those hair dos! They've outdone themselves! Happy Sunday! Hugs!

Conniecrafter said...

It sounds like it was a girls day out, maybe they left the guys at home with the kids, LOL! I like their cool spikey heads. I had to laugh how you usually catch their back ends :)