Ducks: Part III

Continuing with Ducks:

Northern Pintail

Northern Shoveler

Redhead

Ring-necked Duck

Ruddy Duck

Redhead and Canvasback

A quick trip over to Agua Caliente Park (which is four miles from us) produced a single Redhead and a Single Canvasback -- amidst a hundred or more ducks. Both are diving ducks as opposed to the myriad of dabbling ducks often found at Agua Caliente. So it takes a more careful search to find.

Sometimes confused at a distance, here you can clearly see the differentiating features and colors. The Canvasback has a longer, straighter, and black bill vs the somewhat upturned, shorter, gray bill with black tip on the Redhead. You can also see that the Canvasback has a darker head than the Redhead. The back of the Canvasback is lighter in color than in the Redhead.

Canvasback

Redhead

Redhead and Canvasback

Redhead Duck

Redhead Duck photo taken at Kennedy Lake Park in West Tucson:

Redhead Duck

National Wildlife Refuges

Columbia National Wildlife Refuge, Washington, 1944

Columbia Refuge, established by Congress in 1944,  is a scenic mixture of rugged cliffs, canyons, lakes, and sagebrush grasslands. Formed by fire, ice, floods, and volcanic tempest, carved by periods of extreme violence of natural forces, the refuge lies in the middle of the Drumheller Channeled Scablands of central Washington -- locally referred to as "The Potholes."  The area reveals a rich geologic history highlighted by periods of dramatic activity, each playing a major role in shaping the land. The northern half of the refuge, south of Potholes Reservoir, is a rugged jumble of cliffs, canyons, lakes, and remnants of lava flows. This part of the Scablands, known as the Drumheller Channels, is the most spectacularly eroded area of its size in the world and was designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1986.

The favorable mixture of lakes and surrounding irrigated croplands, combined with generally mild winters and protection provided by the refuge, attracts large numbers of migrating and wintering mallard ducks, Canada geese, and other waterfowl, including tundra swans.

Black Necked Stilts

Great Egret

Horned Lark

Killdeer

Lesser Scaup

Redhead Duck

Ring Necked Duck

Canada Geese and Sandhill Cranes

Sandhill Cranes

White Pelicans

White Pelicans

Diving Ducks

Ducks are sometimes challenging to photograph. First, is finding the intended species.  Most ducks migrate so time of year is often important. Your choice of lakes is also important since some lakes draw a wider variety of waterfowl than others. Usually you don't know exactly what you will find. You may have a good idea that Mallards or Northern Shovelers will be around. But, even if you find them, getting close is somewhat problematic since they are in water and you are on land. If you are in a public park then it is a little easier because the ducks may be more accustomed to people and may in fact come closer to the water's edge. But in the more remote areas there are other problems. Ducks don't always sit calmly for a good profile photo. You want them to be close and in the right direction -- as opposed to swimming away from you and just showing you their "rear-end." Lighting, is a whole other issue itself, unless you just want silhouettes. With Dabbling Ducks you often just see the tail because the head is underwater. With Diving Ducks you might take a photo only to realize once you get home that all that's in your photo is a splash of water where the duck was. 

Diving ducks are different from dabbling ducks in that they -- you guessed it -- dive for their food. Diving ducks swim underwater to feed on aquatic vegetation, insects, and occasionally small fish. They can dive deeply and are strong swimmers so they dive for protection from predators as well as for food. Unlike dabbling ducks, they are very awkward on land. Diving ducks are found most often on large bodies of water such as lakes, bays, and estuaries. All of my Diving Ducks can be found throughout the United States at various times of the year. Here are my photos of Diving Ducks:

Barrow's Goldeneye

photo taken at Lake Chopaka, Northcentral Washington

Common Goldeneye

photo taken too long ago to remember exactly -- somewhere in British Columbia

Bufflehead

photo taken at Davis Lake, Oregon

Canvasback

photo taken at Potholes, Central Washington

Lesser Scaup

photo taken at Agua Caliente, Arizona

Redhead Duck

photo taken at Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, California

Ring Necked Duck

photo taken at Agua Caliente, Arizona

Ruddy Duck

photo taken at Sweetwater Wetlands, Arizona