Ring-necked Ducks

 

A short trip to a local wetlands this evening revealed that the expected "culprits" were present.  With mallards, wood ducks, hooded mergansers, and ring-necked ducks sighed only the ring-necked ducks afforded the opportunity for photographs.

 

 

A close look at this photo reveals the cinnamon neck band that the ring-necked duck is named for.

 

 

After a brief photo op the ringer pair swam away.

Eager for Spring Waterfowl

Buffleheads

 

 I stopped by the local lake today to check on ice conditions.  With the recent temperature swings of the past week going from the lowest temps of the winter to well over 60F Tuesday and back down to 12F last night the coves and the northern part are frozen with 2/3rds of the lake remaining open.  However even with the open water no waterfowl were visible.  While I am always on the look-out for waterfowl sightings it will be a few weeks yet before the spring migration begins.

 Lesser Scaup & Ring-necked Ducks

 

The photos shown here were captured in mid-November as the birds passed by on their southward migration.  While I have been hoping to find a time when weather and my schedule coincide for a visit to Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge on Maryland's Eastern Shore to photograph wintering waterfowl it has yet to work out.

Canada Geese & Tundra Swan

While we are again locked in winter's embrace, by the last week of the month Snow Geese and Tundra Swans should begin arriving at the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area near Lancaster Pennsylvania.  I am planning my visit for the first week of March as this coincided with the opening of the roads through the WMA (unless blocked by snow) and usually the largest concentration of migrating snow geese.

Waterfowl Migration Winding Down

Ring-necked ducks taking flight

With the arrival of May the spring waterfowl migration is winding down in my area.  It all began back in late February with the snow geese and tundra swans arriving at Middle Creek and by early March buffleheads, lesser scaup, and common mergansers were on the local lake.  The mild winter had failed to freeze the lake so there was not the usual ice to impede their early arrival.

By early April these species had moved on and were replaced with hooded mergansers, ring-necked ducks, horned grebes, along with the resident mallards and wood ducks.  Last weekend a flock of ring-necked ducks were still on the lake.  During my visits yesterday and today I failed to spot them.

Common Loons

The loons arrived during the second week of April with the numbers peaking last weekend when I spotted at least four individuals.  I photographed this pair yesterday but today was unable to spot a singe loon.  More loons may arrive yet however I will not be surprised if this is the last I will see them this spring.

Common Loon, winter plumage

As the loons pass through our area both the breeding and winter plumage can be seen with birds of both plumages being seen in nearly equal numbers.

Loon in flight

Check out how the loons feet extend well beyond its tail apparently acting as its rudder in flight.  The loons legs are positioned far back on its body; perfect for diving but useless for walking on land.  A loon causes a considerable commotion taking flight as it must patter for well over one hundred yards to gain enough speed to become airborne. 

Seldom have I observed a loon return to the lake once it takes flight.  Typically the loon, once in the air, will circle the lake a number of times clockwise gaining altitude with each pass.  After three to five passes it will be high in the air while I watch it passing over the north end of the lake soon becoming a mere speck above the horizon before disappearing completely.

Red-breasted Merganser

The female and immature red-breasted mergansers are the last to leave.  I have never observed mature males later than mid April however hens and immature males will stay well into May, sometimes as late as the last week.  I photographed this female stretching her wings yesterday after she had emerged from fishing underwater.

Female Red-breasted Mergansers

The mergansers were very actively fishing yesterday and diving frequently.  I enjoy watching these birds when they encounter a large school of baitfish.  The birds will go from swimming with their heads underwater to running across the surface when suddenly the entire flock will dive.  Where moments before a flock of ducks were swimming, only swirls on the water remain.  A few moments later heads will begin popping up some distance from where they dived and the search for fish will resume.

Many of the diving species such as the loons, horned grebes, pied-billed grebes, and redhead ducks will dive to evade intruders however while they dive to feed, the red-breasted merganser when pressed to closely take flight.

While the waterfowl migration is winding down the spring song bird migration is heating up.  Just this week I spotted my first hummingbird, cat bird, and spotted sandpiper for the season.

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Middle Creek Ringers

Working my way through my archives I found these ring-necked duck shots from March of 2010.

Ring-necked ducks pass through Pennsylvania during their spring and fall migrations.  Nesting on ponds and marshes in the boreal forest of Canada and wintering in the southern US states they spend only a few weeks passing through southern Pennsylvania.

Ring-necked ducks are divers however unlike other divers they can leap into the air without pattering.  In this photo a male can be seen surfacing.  Look closely and you will see that the surface tension of the water causes him to looks as if his head is encased in plastic.

I photographed these ducks at the Middle Creek Wildlife Management area.  The images are cropped more that what I would have preferred but getting close to waterfowl is not a viable option at most of the  Middle Creek viewing spots.

Ring-necked Ducks

Ring-necked ducks pass through our area each spring and can be found on both lakes and marshes.  They are one of our earlier arrivals and only stay a month or so during their journey northward.  This shot was taken during our recent Middle Creek visit.  This pothole lies along the road near the visitor center.  This is one of the few places where one can get close to the water but the ducks normally shy away from the photographers and birders keeping towards the middle of the pond making close up shots nearly impossible.

The Ring-necked ducks at the local wetlands are more wary than their Middle Creek counterparts but by using camo techniques I captured this image of a male a few days ago.

With only an hour to go before sunset I headed into the wetlands this evening.  Traveling light I carried only the camera, tripod, and a strip of camo material.  Arriving at a suitable location I simply covered myself and the camera with the material and settled in to wait.

A small flock of Ring-necked ducks had taken flight as I was arriving and soon returned landing behind  a screen of brush.  The males were pursuing females but were very careful to not expose themselves to me. However after some time had elapsed and the sun had dipped beneath the horizon this one male finally scooted into the open while the hen remains partially obscured behind a screen of brush.

This was the only shot of the evening for the click of the camera sent him swimming for cover.

Boating for Waterfowl

Among to many ways to enjoy the outdoors one of my favorites is by boat.  Over the years I have owned boats ranging from a little 12 foot jon boat that I car-topped to a 21ft cabin rig that carried me over much of the Chesapeake Bay.  My most used boat has been a 15 foot aluminum modified V bass boat with both gas and electric motor.  I have towed this boat as far north as Central Ontario and south to North Carolina in search of fishing adventures as well as using it extensively locally.  Since getting back into photography with the advent of digital I have been boating a great deal combining fishing with waterfowl photography. 

Saturday morning I wet the boat for the first time this year in a nearby lake.  Launching was difficult as the Pa Fish and Boat Commission had lowered the lake some 7-8 feet last fall in anticipation of dam repairs.  The water was deep enough at the launch ramp for me to get the boat off but a rock ledge just beyond required wading in and rocking the boat by hand to get it through an area of 3-4 inch deep water.  Although noting so much as bumped the lures I was trolling the morning was well worth the effort as waterfowl was plentiful.

This first shot is of a flock of Ring-necked ducks feeding along the shoreline as the morning sun lights the scene nearly to the water's edge.  The base of the trees mark the normal shoreline when the lake is at normal level.  A scenic shot was the best I could do as these ducks flew before I could approach within good camera range.

A small flock of Lesser Scaup did likewise but at a close enough distance to allow me to capture this nice flight shot.

Passing overhead a flock of female Red-breasted mergansers formed the familiar V shaped pattern so common with migrating waterfowl.

When I noticed a lone unidentified duck flying by I took a quick shot in hopes of being able to id it from the photograph.  Even though the distance was long and the image is heavily cropped it is easy to identify it as a Green-winged Teal; a bird that I seldom see in my local.

During this outing I observed the waterfowl pictured here along with the following; horned grebe, loon, common merganser,bufflehead, and ruddy ducks. 

The spring waterfowl migrations are a wonderful time to be outdoors enjoying what nature has to offer.  I am trying to find as much time as possible to photograph these beautifully colored travelers as they only too quickly pass through our area.

Middle Creek Ring-necked Ducks

Early morning at Middle Creek found a flock of Ring-necked Ducks hanging out on a pond near the visitor's center.  This photo and the following one was taken as the first warm rays of the rising sun fell across the water.  

Light levels were still quite low.  The first shot was made set on ISO 640 and the second at ISO 1000.

Three hours later with the sun higher in the sky I shot this image at ISO125.  With the stronger light I captured better detail but lost much of the visual appeal that comes with the warm low angle light of dawn.

Migrant Waterfowl Arrives

A little over one week ago when I checked the local wetlands they were locked in ice with no sign of life. How quickly did our landscape change! With warmer temperatures and heavy rain the ice and snow quickly receded and large flocks of Canada geese can be seen flying north daily.

Sunday afternoon I again paid a visit to the wetlands to find it swarming with waterfowl. Along with Canada geese various species of ducks were also present. With their bright white crest the Hooded Merganser males stood out from their drab surroundings.

I was unable to get close enough for good photographs and contented myself with shooting identification shots. This shot of a Hooded Merganser drake is very tightly cropped.

A male Ring-necked Duck passes through the same spot as the Hooded Merganser in the previous image, again tightly cropped.



I also observed mallards, wood ducks, a great blue heron, and red-winged blackbirds during this visit. In the coming days I am anticipating more encounters, hopefully closer and in better light but for now I am happy that the flocks of spring are again passing though on their annual journey.