Top Photo: The wetlands after a brief snow event. Cold temperatures and snow bring about changes in bird behavior, directly and indirectly. Birds that typically stay north sustaining themselves on fruits and seeds don’t necessarily need to migrate south due to the cold. As long as they have food they can usually cope with the temperature. However, heavy snow burying food sources and frozen ponds will put most birds on the wing, song birds and waterfowl alike. Birds like purpleRead more
Month: January 2025
More Merganser Behavior
Top Photo: Hooded merganser pair bond display. The number of mergansers present in our wetlands has steadily decreased as the waterfowl pair up and take off to their own exclusive local ponds. Below is a brief clip of three males vying for the attention of a seemingly disinterested female merganser. The pair bond is made upon arrival on the wintering grounds, or soon after. The birds may even display copulatory behavior onsite to save time during spring’s return to their breedingRead more
Merganser in the Wetlands
Top Photo: Some of the fourteen hooded mergansers in the wetlands at the end of December. From mid-November to about the middle of April hooded mergansers are a common sight in our wetlands. Some days you may see a lone merg in the pond and other days there may be a dozen or more. The birds fly back and forth between local area ponds. But unless the pond is frozen over there’s bound to be a merganser or two presentRead more