A Drake Hooded Merganser

This male Hooded Merganser duck was spotted on Sunday March 5, 2017, at the Wal-Mart pond on CR 466 in The Villages, Florida.

The Hooded Merganser was first seen lounging on the base of a large pond fountain.  After a moment, the duck slid into the water and paddled off in search of a bite to eat.  I did not see a female or hen with the merganser.  I did see a few Mallard Ducks there as well as a Little Blue Heron and a single Common Moorhen.

Hooded Mergansers are gorgeous ducks.  The males are rusty-brown, white and black in color.   Male Hooded Mergansers have a large white hooded region on their heads that they raise when alert or to signal danger to the other ducks.  These ducks dive for prey of fish, frogs, crayfish, tadpoles and small tender turtles.

I have been seeing the Hooded Mergansers with some Bufflehead Ducks, and Lesser Scaups around the community in the last couple of weeks.  Pretty soon, these migratory ducks will head North.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the photo.  Enjoy!

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Birds at the Lake, Part 3

Wood Stork

Wood Storks, Great Egrets, Great Blue Herons, Double Crested Cormorants, Ring-necked Ducks, and Hooded Mergansers all visited the little park lake (Paradise Lake) here in the past two weeks.

An interesting thing about Wood Storks is how they sit.  Their knees bend so that their lower legs rest in front – quite the opposite from many animals. and of course, people.

I took these pictures on Dec. 21-22, 2016.  Most of these water birds are meat-eaters and they certainly had easy fishing since our lake is drying up (we are in a drought).  I wish all who celebrate, a happy Hanukkah.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the picture.  Enjoy!  Happy New Year!

Ring-necked Ducks

Great Blue Heron

Hooded Merganser Ducks

 

Double Crested Cormorant

Wood Storks

Great Egret in Breeding Plumage

Hooded Mergansers on a Small Pond

Male (Drake) Hooded Merganser Ducks

A few days ago I spotted a small flock of maybe twenty Hooded Merganser Ducks plus a few hen Ring Necked Ducks paddling around a tiny pond here in my community.  The pond is located in front of the Plaza Grande shopping center at Spanish Springs and is between Highway 27/441 and the frontage road (near all the fast food restaurants).

These Hooded Mergansers eat fish, frogs, small turtles and larger aquatic insects.  They dive for their prey.  They use their long slightly pointed bill to help catch their meal.  Hooded Merganser drakes raise the feather hood on their head to signal alerts of danger or an unusual circumstance.  The hens are almost all a rich brown color with a tuft mohawk of feathers on the top of their head.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the photo.  Enjoy!

Hooded Merganser Ducks

Hooded Mergansers

Hooded Mergansers and hen Ring-Necked Ducks

Plenty of Ducks!

Black-bellied Whistlers

Whistlers (Black-bellied Whistling Ducks), Mallards, Hooded Mergansers, Florida Mottled Ducks, and yes, a lone Lesser Scaup duck, were all spotted this past week here in ponds and lakes in my area.  I am seeing more and more small flocks of migrating ducks around lately.

I have been told that more will be arriving including my very favorite, the Buffleheads!  I sure will be happy if I get to see some of those around the area’s small lakes and ponds!  I usually go out bird watching with the camera at about dusk as that is when I have more free time.  I hope you enjoy seeing these beautiful ducks as much as I do.   Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger image.  Enjoy!

A Whistler

Black Bellied Whistling Ducks

Whistlers, Mottled Ducks, Mallard Ducks, with Common Cormorants and an American White Ibis

 

A Lesser Scaup Duck

A flock of Hooded Merganser Ducks

A drake Mallard Duck

Everything is Just Ducky!

 

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks

Hooded Mergansers

 

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks

Here are some of the ducks I have spotted in the last several weeks in Marion County, Florida.  I saw all except the Florida Mottled Ducks at Tuscawilla Park in Ocala.  The small group of Mottled Ducks was spotted at one of the golf course rainfall retention ponds here in the development where I live.  The Musvovies and the Pekins are domestic (farm) ducks but the others are all wild ducks.   Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger photo.  Enjoy!

Muscovy Ducklings and Hen

Muscovy Duck

Hooded Mergansers

 

Wood Ducks

Pekin Ducks

Florida Mottled Ducks

Big Birds at Tuscawilla Park, Ocala, FL

 

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks

Common Cormorants and White Pelican

 

White Pelican, Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, Wood Ducks, Cormorants

 

Here are photos of some of the many water birds I spotted at Tuscawilla Park in Ocala, FL on February 4, 2015.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger picture.  Enjoy!

Black Vultures

Great Egret

Wood Stork and Seagulls

 

Pelicans, Wood Storks, Great Egret

Wood Ducks in Flight

Hooded Merganser Ducks

Wood Ducks and Hooded Mergansers at Tuscawilla Park

Wood Ducks and Hooded Mergansers were among the many migratory birds I saw at Tuscawilla Park in Ocala, FL, on January 20, 2015, and January 23, 2015.  One of the hen Wood Ducks was unusually light colored, a “Leucastic” coloring.

There were just a handful of each of the Wood Ducks and the Hooded Mergansers among the throng of Black Bellied Whistling Ducks and a few domestic Muscovy and Pekin Ducks that are year around park ducks.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger picture.  Enjoy!