Just Grand and an update

We stayed home a week after our booster shots, having stocked up on groceries just before that shot. I have issues with my back and haven’t been able to use the treadmill or bike during that time so I was feeling rather down and the weather wasn’t helping. The wind has been relentless and the cold with it precluded any outdoor photography. When the wind took a break, finally, we went to Grand River to see the ducks which gather there every winter. Ducks are among my favourite birds.

We were looking for Goldeneyes, Common and Barrow’s, but were thrilled to see so many American Black Ducks there. Hundreds of them were gathered over areas of open water by the bridges on the Grand River. That day, their nasal quacking sound carried through the air and was music to my ears. This photo, showing the white under their wings is one of my favourites. 

Most of the Goldeneyes there flew off when we stopped the car. However a few hung around with the Black Ducks and this male Common Goldeneye was obvious among its black friends. 

The female Barrow’s Goldeneye with its orange bill is front and centre of this photo.

Mallards were absent from the saltwater marsh by the boardwalk this past autumn, so I was thrilled to see them as well. The females are difficult to distinguish from the Black Ducks but one is obvious in the front left of this photo, with the male behind her with his familiar green head. In addition a female Common Merganser with its brown head and grey body was obvious too.

Nearby, domestic geese enjoyed the area too, oblivious to the human stood above them on the road, watching with interest. There are always domestic geese in this area every winter.

We drove along the river to another area of fast running water where both species of Goldeneyes were plentiful. But that’s another story.

Update:

Anyone who follows my blog knows that my husband and I recently took our golden grand-dog, Georgie, to the vet. She is doing well on the medication for arthritis.

On February 3rd, Georgie celebrated her twelfth birthday with her family. Our daughter is convinced the dog knew it was her cake even before the treats were added!

Surprise! She ate the whole thing minus the candles, unlike her eighth birthday when she chowed down on the candle too. 

In addition, we have had four weekend snowstorms in five weeks. The most recent dumped a huge amount of snow without the high winds of the previous storms. Needless to say, we are tired of winter.

Just ducky

Many birders have favourite birds, those which they especially enjoy watching and hearing. While I enjoy all birds, I especially like ducks and ones I look forward to seeing every winter are the Goldeneyes.

There are Common and Barrow’s Goldeneyes which we visit in a few locations. Fast moving water keeps the Grand River from freezing in some places and these little ducks found these areas and return every year.

Like so many birds, the males are showier than the females of these species. The Barrow’s male has a white raindrop shape on its face, whereas the Common has a white oval. The feather markings on their backs are different as well.

                  Common Goldeneye, male, in the foreground. Barrow’s male behind it.

The females of both species look alike but the Barrow’s has a shorter orange-yellow beak.

This last photo is one of my favourite photos I’ve ever taken. It was accidental, an aim and shoot, one of hundreds taken one day along the Grand River in Prince Edward Island.

It has five female Goldeneyes, and a male Barrow’s Goldeneye. Of the five, I believe all but one are Barrow’s. One of those looks as if she is quacking vehemently at the male. I wonder what she’s saying?

Suggestions?

Just ducky

The bridge at Grand River, Prince Edward Island, is an area where the water runs swiftly enough to prevent freezing. 

There are always birds east and west of the bridge and February was no exception. One day recently, I saw a variety of birds, especially ducks. 

They looked to be friendly with each other, some dabblers, others, divers. Below are American black ducks, male and female Common mergansers, Barrow’s goldeneye and Common goldeneye.

The black duck is stood on the ice. A male merganser has the tuft of feathers on its brown head. The females are white and black. The Barrow’s goldeneye has the white bars on its side. The Common goldeneye is in the front centre of the photo.

The next photo shows the difference in size from the large American black duck, a dabbler, to the Common goldeneye, a smal diving duck. 

In the final photo, I have all my ducks in a row, the Common goldeneyes anyway.

At risk

We had seen Common Mergansers already at Stanley Bridge and as we drove toward Cavendish, there were ducks in some open water by the oyster farm. “More mergansers,” I said as my husband as he parked the car. 

The gate of the Oyster Company was open. We approached the building, hoping someone was there so we could ask permission to look around. We discovered later the workers were on the opposite side of the bridge on and under the ice.

The ducks were in the water behind the building. We stealthily made our way along but they swam away of course. 

These weren’t mergansers but I couldn’t identify them. They swam around as we took photos and later flew off. 

Checking the photos, I was surprised to see the ducks were Barrow’s Goldeneyes. These birds are considered “at risk” in eastern Canada. It is estimated that 400 individuals winter in the Maritimes. We saw about 25 of them.

The males are black and white, a black head with a crescent white shape behind the beak. The unique white markings on both sides of the back are indicative of this bird. 

The females are less distinctive, with a brown head and gray body. 

They made a whistling sound as they flew away.

It was a thrill to observe them.