Ducks: Part III

Part III of Ducks.

There are a great many species of Ducks, Geese, and Swans throughout the world. 51 species common to the United States. (39 Ducks, 8 Geese and 3 Swans).

There are many types of Ducks, and different organizations and/or people have their own "types." Simply though, Ducks are either "Dabbling" or "Diving".  There are 16 species of Dabbling Ducks. They are most often found in shallow water. They eat from just below the surface or by dunking their head under water to glean plants and insects. They may also come on land eating grasses and insects.

In the United States there are 23 species of Diving Ducks. Diving Ducks are agile swimmers and more often found in deeper water. While their food choices include insects and plants, they also catch fish.

You could also classify ducks as "sea ducks" or "fresh water ducks" which is useful information to know.

Green Winged Teal

Harlequin Duck

Lesser  Scaup

Leucistic Mallard Duck

Long Tailed Duck

Mallard Duck

Birding Coachline Gravel Pit aka El Rio Open Space

Also called the El Rio Preserve is a 100 acre wetland formed by a break in the Santa Cruz River a few years ago. Funding has been provided to improve trails, parking, and the wetland itself. Since the original flooding, over 200 species have been reported there. 

At present the size of the lake has been significantly reduced. Therefore the fish have been limited to a much smaller area which has attracted many Egrets. I was there yesterday and found 19 Great Egrets all within sight at the same time. 

Here are some of yesterday's photos:

green winged teal

great egret

blue canterbury

mexican poppy

phainopepla

greater roadrunner

yellow rumped warbler

house finch

red tailed hawk

northern rough winged swallow

Sweetwater Wetlands

A quick trip to Sweetwater Wetlands produced a few nice photos though nothing rare:

Cinnamon Teal

Cooper's Hawk

Gadwal

Green Winged Teal

Snowy Egret

Yellow Rumped Warbler

Whitewater Draw: the End of Winter

Whitewater Draw was "drawing" down for the winter as well. There were still a couple thousand Sandhill Cranes, but most have left. And, still a couple hundred Snow Geese. Many of the wintering Ducks have also begun their Spring Migration home.  However, a few Green Winged Teals remained, as well as American Avocets, and Greater Yellowlegs. I was also pleased to find the American Bittern and a Great Egret that wanted his picture taken too. Oh, and the usually present Great Horned Owl. Here, then, the best from Whitewater Draw this trip:

American Avocet

Greater Yellowlegs

Sandhill Cranes

Pyrrhuloxia

American Bittern

Green Winged Teal

Great Egret

Great Horned Owl

Whitewater Draw Waterbirds

Another quick yesterday trip to Waterwater Draw looking for the American Bittern. Not only success in finding the Bittern but lots of great photos. Here are some:

Northern Pintail

American Bittern

Greater Yellowlegs

Northern Shoveler

Sandhill Crane

Sandhill Crane

Sandhill Crane

Sandhill Crane

Green Winged Teal

Whitewater Draw Ducks

Having lived in the Northwest (Seattle) for 18 years before moving to Tucson, ducks were almost like pigeons in New York City's Central Park. And just about every species including the seagoing ones. Arizona  --- a different story. Usually Mallards, Northern Shovelers, and Coots can be found year round in Southern Arizona. However, winter brings many of other duck species. So it is NOW a treat to go out looking for them during those winter days ---- even though I saw them daily in the Northwest. Whitewater Draw is a good pace to start. And, while the main attraction there are the thousands of Sandhill Cranes, don't overlook the beautiful Northern Pintail, Gadwall, or Green Winged Teal that can be found. 

Green Winged Teal

Northern Shoveler

Northern Pintail

Gadwall

More from Whitewater Draw

In addition to the several thousand Sandhill Cranes at Whitewater Draw are a hundred or so Snow Geese. Snow Geese spend their summers in the Arctic Circle, where they nest in colonies. They typically winter along the shores of the Gulf of California and Gulf of Mexico. Therefore, their migrations are quite long -- 4000 miles or more. There are a few exceptions. Bosque de Apache in New Mexico and Whitewater Draw in Arizona have small wintering populations. In the first photo you will see 50 or so flying above several thousand Sandhill Cranes. The second photo is a close up of five Snow Geese in flight.

A few other surprises at Whitewater Draw this time. First, a Willet, and then a Green Winged Teal. Willets are year round residents along the Atlantic coast. In the West, they winter along the Pacific Coast and then move inland during the summer to the Northwest Interior. They are relatively rare to the other parts of the Country. But, again Whitewater Draw seems to "draw" waterbirds that otherwise --- in Arizona -- would be hard pressed to find water.  The Green Winged Teal is found throughout the US during the winter, with summers in Canada. There are parts of the Northwestern US where the Green Winged Teal is a year round resident. It is the smallest of the dabbling ducks, and as the photo shows dabbles its bill along the shallow muddy areas of ponds or lakes. 

Dabbling Ducks

A "Dabbling Duck" is a shallow water duck that feeds primarily along the surface of the water or by tipping headfirst into the water to graze on aquatic plants and vegetation. These ducks are infrequent divers and are usually found in small ponds, rivers and other shallow waterways. Dabbling ducks also forage on land for seeds and insects. Physically, they have flat, broad bills and float high on the water while swimming and they tend to be very vocal birds. Some of these Dabbling Ducks seem to "dabble" more often than not. The Northern Shoveler for example is usually got his head under water so you only see his tail. In terms of distribution, the Fulvous Whistling Duck is only found in the southernmost parts of Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, and Florida. The Mexican Mallard is only found in Southern Arizona, New Mexico, and Mexico. The Eurasion Wigeon is only found in the northern Pacific. The Cinnamon Teal is only found in the Western United States. All others (Mallard, Gadwall, Northern Pintail, American Wigeon, Northern Shoveler, Blue Winged Teal, and Green Winged Teal are found throughout North America.

American Wigeon

photo taken at Harriett Lake, Oregon

Eurasion Wigeon

photo taken at Union Bay, Washington

Blue Winged Teal

photo taken at Mercer Slough

Cinnamon Teal

photo taken at Sweetwater Wetlands, Arizona

Green Winged Teal

photo taken at Padilla Bay, Washington

Mallard Duck

photo taken at Mercer Slough, Washington

Mexican Mallard

photo taken at San Pedro River, Arizona

Fulvous Whistling Duck

photo taken at San Pedro River, Arizona

Gadwall

photo taken at Union Bay, Washington

Northern Pintail

photo taken at Davis Lake, Oregon

Northern Shoveler

photo taken at Sweetwater Wetlands, Arizona