Closeup photos of Common Mergansers

It turns out that it pays to have a duck blind in your backyard. We've worked out a system of going out the front door, sneaking down the fence line, hiding behind the shed, and then sitting on a bench behind the camouflage blanket that is draped over a fence at the water's edge. It's a good spot just to watch the antics of the mergansers without scaring them off. Today, after waiting a while, some common mergansers swam by. The top two are a female and the bottom a male. These pictures are definitely worth clicking on to get a detailed image. There are some hooded mergansers in the area, so we might not go out for groceries today.

Sometimes we need air traffic control at the feeder

 

 

The feeder is quite popular these days. Pine Siskins and Goldfinches are sharing the feeder in the top photo. Two house finches are shown in the bottom photo.

Hooded Mergansers on Lake Nelson

 

 

The Hooded Mergansers are back.

Chickadee & Goldfich

 

 

We want spring to come as much as these birds do.

Common Mergansers on Lake Nelson

 

 

The lake is thawing again, just a little ice on the shady side. Common Mergansers have come back. The top shows a female being followed by a male. The bottom is three males, one starting to dive for a fish.

Northern Flicker from S. Sriram

 

Hooded Mergansers: The Great Gazoo of Ducks

 

Lake Nelson is still too frozen for our hooded mergansers, so we decided to go to Swimming River Reservoir in Monmouth County in search of them. We ran into a group of several males trying to impress a female. We don't know about her, but Chris was impressed by their displays and frog-like sounds . We really didn't get close enough for a great photo. After all of the hiking to see them, it wasn't until we were driving home that we saw three in a small pond by the side of the road. Chris got these great photos of the hooded mergansers from inside the car. Don't you think his head looks like the Great Gazoo's? Don't you love her hair?

 

 

 

 

 

As usual, Mike couldn't resist getting out of the car, scaring them away, so we went home and posted these.

Ruddy Ducks sleeping at Swimming River Reservoir

 

White-breasted Nuthatch

 

Quite the acrobats, the nuthatches are.

More Winter Birds: Pine Siskin, Downy Woodpecker, & American Goldfinch

 

 

 

We've been taking the great backyard bird count seriously this year.

Harlequin Ducks at Barnegat Lighthouse

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Thursday, a colleague told Mike about the Harlequin Ducks that spend the winter on the rocky coast at Barnegat Lighthouse off Long Beach. Chris just had to see them, so off we went at the start of the weekend in hopes of spotting this stunning waterfowl. The harlequin ducks were exactly where they had been a month earlier. It was definitely worth the drive as we felt well rewarded, and Chris even managed to overcome her irrational fear of walking along the huge rock jetty to see them. Now that we've seen them, we are having trouble deciding which is more beautiful, the Wood Duck or the Harlequin Duck. They both look like they have been hand painted.

Red-breasted Merganser at Barnegat Lighthouse

 

 

The red-breasted merganser looks like the common merganser. It prefers the salt water of Barnegat Bay to the freshwater of Lake Nelson.

Red-throated Loon at Barnegat Lighthouse

Long-tailed Ducks at Barnegat Lighthouse

These long-tailed ducked were an added bonus on our trip to Barnegat. There were many more of them than the Harlequins, and while not as strikingly colorful, they were very entertaining. There was great variety in their coloration, and only the male has the obviously long tail.

Hey, I thought you said this lake had defrosted

 

Participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count: Feb. 13-16, 2009

The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent. Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts. This year, the bird count is Feb. 13-16, 2009

For details visit Great Backyard Bird Count

Defrosted

The lake has finally defrosted. Word got out quickly. We get to count some fancy ducks in the Great Backyard Bird Count. Two wood ducks arrived, followed by a hooded merganser.

Common Mergansers: Photo by Josh in Bordentown, NJ

I am new to bird watching. Kids seems to be getting into to it. Do not know the name of the following ducks. Any help would be appreciated.

Thank You,

Josh
Bordentown NJ

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They are common mergansers. The male is being followed by the female. They are great fun to watch because they dive and catch fish.
Mike and Chris

Reddish Egret

We first observed the reddish egret in California where it is rare. The reason we are posting so many pictures is because we have become quite the fans of this entertaining bird. Unlike the careful, calculated stalking technique of the other herons and egrets, the reddish egret will run, hop, spread its wings and basically look very silly while it's fishing. We also love the crazy wiry hairstyle (known to more serious birders as plumage.)