In Europe they nest as far south as the Swiss lakes, but they are principally a bird of the northern forests, favouring fast-flowing … EUR (€) 20% off all wall art!
They spend most of their time on the water and even sleep there at night. Unlike the beaks of most waterfowl, theirs are long and serrated. Like most ducks we see, male and female common mergansers (Mergus merganser) look different. 484-92. Very often, they will come back to the same nesting sites used in the past. Common mergansers ride low in the water. Offer ends tonight at midnight EST. By Annie ReidWestborough Community Land Trust. These ducks are relatively long, about 25 inches long – a couple of inches more than the mallards we’re used to seeing everywhere. They’ll be heading toward their nesting areas in northern New England and across Canada. Their diet is made up mostly of small fish, crawfish, and aquatic insects.
The last day of August, water green with cedar light, a few feathers drifting, my arms muscular from a summer of swimming, and feet accustomed to … Currency: USD ($) Hooded mergansers do not eat much plant material.
Before leaving Stratford in the morning we noted 8 Common Mergansers, all female, on … Their bills have serrated edges that work well in gripping fish. They’ll dive to the bottom and poke around in the mud or gravel there, and pick prey off the bottom. As usual, the males are the flashy ones. Busy as this time of year can be, find some time to look for the interesting ducks that December brings to town.
You can find common mergansers right in Westborough at the right times of year, but you might also notice them if you travel in other parts of the world, including Ireland, Scotland, Scandinavia, and parts of China, Japan, and Korea. Looking up for the boat wake I assumed had caused it, I instead found a bunch of merganser kids scooting–running–on top of the water; doing group wind sprints for twenty-five feet or so and then swimming normally for about ten seconds before sprinting en masse again. Click to review guidelines & reserve tickets. Viewed 524 Times - Last Visitor from Canton, Ga on 11/05/2020 at 9:13 AM, Add This Artwork to Your Favorites Collection. While out running errands, I stopped at a nearby beach front and … Don, thank you so much for featuring this image in "A Birding Group - Wings"! Today only! Common Mergansers are found throughout the northern hemisphere, and in winter can be seen in large flocks, sometimes of thousands of birds. Congratulations Judi, your work is Featured in "A Birding Group - Wings"! 8–12 white eggs are incubated for 32 to 33 days by the female alone. THE ZOO IS OPEN! Made @ MISSION, The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. They spend most of their time on the water and even sleep there at night.
Great action photography Judi.
GBP (£) As I swam, there were small feathers on the surface of the lake, and still the shadows of mergansers as I moved through the water. They’re more comfortable on water than on land because their feet are positioned far back on their body, near the tail, making it awkward to balance when they stand. Likewise, they will suffer if waters become contaminated with chemicals such as PCBs, DDT, and mercury, which build up in the tissues of prey and get passed “up” the food chain. What other ducks might you see in December while there’s still open water in Westborough? The hooded merganser is a diving duck that prefers running water, freshwater, and woods. After 1-2 days, they leave the nest and can swim and feed themselves. From Cornell Labs website: " In summer, look for them leading ducklings from eddy to eddy along streams or standing on a flat rock in the middle of the current. I find the female Common Merganser to be just as beautiful as the male. These large ducks nest in hollow trees; in winter they form flocks on larger bodies of water." Click to review guidelines & reserve tickets. You Tube - Opens in new window, ©2020 The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore . Twitter - Opens in new window These bills have earned them the nickname “sawbill.” To help them digest fish, bones and all, common mergansers have gizzards containing about a teaspoonful of gravel. During courtship, the male hooded merganser makes a distinctive, rolling, frog-like crrroooooo call that can be heard from a distance. If acid rain changes the nature of the water and the fish that can live in it, common mergansers will be affected. Carnivore - Mostly fish, aquatic insects, crawfish, some plant material. Common mergansers typically have 9-12 ducklings, which are covered with down and have their eyes open when they hatch. In Westborough, hunting is not allowed (except by permission of the landowner), but the state permits hunting at the Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Westboro Management Area (though not on Sundays). You’ll see plenty of mallards. Finally the rivers are beginning to open up more even though the larger bodies of water are still snow covered. Special program information for teachers and instructors. AUD ($) Then the hunt continues, with the mergansers sometimes swimming with neck outstretched and head underwater, as they look below for fish. Unlike dabbling ducks, Hooded Mergansers swim low in the water.
All products are produced on-demand and shipped worldwide within 2 - 3 business days. Exclusive member offers, news & renewal information. For this reason, they are not as limited in their nesting opportunities as are wood ducks (Aix sponsa; see Nature Notes of June 9, 2006 at http://www.westboroughlandtrust.org/nn/nn54.php), which nest only in tree holes and in the nest boxes that people put up for them on ponds. CAD ($) Their legs are far back on their bodies, which helps in diving but makes them awkward on land.
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Hooded_Merganser/id. L/Tweet. F/L. They nest in tree holes and rock crevices along wooded lakes and streams, but they’ll also sometimes nest on the ground. One reason is duck hunting season, which occurs in late fall and early winter. Why are ducks so shy at this time of year? They catch prey by diving underwater and are well-adapted to see and catch fish underwater. The hooded merganser is a diving duck that prefers running water, freshwater, and woods. They’re one of several kinds of ducks that pass through on their way south, already bright in breeding plumage. They also need clear water for hunting by sight, so changes that cloud the water are not good for them.
In winter, it seeks forested wetlands, brackish estuaries and tidal creeks. They lay clutches of 6-15 eggs and incubate them for 29-37 days.
And with the rivers flowing a steady stream of ducks seem to be arriving daily. JPY (¥) You might also spot them in smaller groups of half a dozen or so. Both Common And Hooded Mergansers find some open water on ice covered lake while migrating North. Because of the protection afforded by nest cavities, egg survival seems to be quite high with hooded mergansers but ducklings are more vulnerable to predation once out of the nest. NY: Harper & Row, 1984, pp. The ideal size for the entrance hole is 8cm. As fish eaters, common mergansers are the “top predators” in the food chain of who-eats-whom in lakes and streams. http://www.westboroughlandtrust.org/nn/nn49.php, http://www.westboroughlandtrust.org/nn/nn54.php. The hooded merganser is an exclusively North American duck. Likes + Favorites. Common mergansers ride low in the water. Lovely soft lighting. They fly fast and straight, often using their feet to give themselves a running start on the water when they take to the air. Sometimes they will nest some distance from the water, but generally they really like boxes over the water. Hooded mergansers do not eat much plant material.
Discounts and news about special Zoo savings. Photo taken in Waterton Canyon, Littleton, Colorado, on September 23rd, 2017
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Keywords and tags for this photo include common mergansers, mergansers, running, flying, in flight, female, ducks, waterfowl, water, fowl, river, stream, pond, lake, wings, avian, birds, wildlife, colorado, taking off, mergus merganser, greater mergansers, judi dressler, photograph, photo, photography, waterton canyon, and littleton. In winter, it seeks forested wetlands, brackish estuaries and tidal creeks.
Look for other diving ducks, such as buffleheads (Bucephala albeola), which seem to like the Westborough Reservoir, ring-necked ducks (Aythya collaris), and hooded mergansers (Lophodytes cucullatus; see Nature Notes of March 31, 2006 at http://www.westboroughlandtrust.org/nn/nn49.php). The females are light gray, with a reddish brown head, white chin patch, and red-orange bill and feet. The females are less showy, all the better to avoid notice while they sit on a nest or tend young. For a good look at common mergansers, binoculars are helpful.
These ducks – and others –tend to spend most of their time far out in the middle of our lakes, but they may feed closer to shore in shallower water. North American common mergansers are slightly smaller than those found elsewhere. Amazing timely capture. They fly fast and straight, often using their feet to give themselves a running start on the water when they take to the air.
Dives typically last about 30 seconds and go 6-12 feet deep, but these ducks can stay under for 2 minutes and dive 19 feet down. USD ($), Copyright © 2020 FineArtAmerica.com - All Rights Reserved.
Common mergansers apparently aren’t especially good to eat so they are not prized by duck hunters, but they do get shot. Spring is officially here when you can find ducks of all kind coming back to the area.
Excellent and difficult capture Judi, you nailed it!!!
For this reason, they can serve as indicators of the health of North American waters. A group of them took off as we approached the stream running through a canyon; I love how they run over the water as they're taking off! Also, town residents are sometimes surprised to discover that hunting is allowed on Mill Pond, which is one of the state’s SuAsCo (SUdbury-ASsabet-COncord) flood control reservoirs. Instagram - Opens in new window Females nest in cavities found in trees, usually very near water. Hooded mergansers leave inland lakes and ponds in the fall and migrate to the east and west coasts of the U.S. !...F/L/T, Fabulous flight photograph of a Merganser with great colors, light, clarity, and perspective, Judi! Johnsgard, Paul A. Waterfowl of North America. The Zoo's monthly newsletter and news updates. The latest on endangered species and conservation efforts. As frigid weather sweeps toward us in December, common mergansers are the last ducks to stop over on Westborough’s ponds and lakes, just before the waters ice over. Great details too. Fish are slippery prey, but common mergansers are well equipped. I find the female Common Merganser to be just as beautiful as the male. The photograph may be purchased as wall art, home decor, apparel, phone cases, greeting cards, and more.
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