Every spring we see a pair or two of Hooded Merganser ducks. They usually stay for a few days or even weeks but always leave.
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Male and Female Hooded Merganser's taken on March 29, 2013. |
This year was different but I didn't realize it. Last week we got a glimpse of two ducks that looked like female Merganser's. I searched through the bird books to see if any other duck resembled them. They have a very distinct cinnamon colored crest. I couldn't find anything. During that same period we would see a mother duck leading her baby ducks to safety into the weeds whenever we would go out on our deck. I thought they were wood ducks because we see similar behavior from them every year. Then two days ago I got out the binoculars and looked more carefully. Right before my eyes camouflaged in the weeds, I saw the mama merganser and her babies. As I looked closer, I saw the nest with a few more babies in it.
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Some of the baby ducks spilling out of the nest. |
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Mama on the nest with babies all around. |
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As soon as she heard me, she started her escape. |
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Here Mama and babies think they are hiding. I think there are at least 10 babies. |
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From a distance these looked like a Wood Duck family. |
Later in the day I saw another group heading for the weeds. The two female Hooded Merganser's that we saw early last week, each had a brood of babies. The males are no where in sight. Maybe the Mallard I saw resting on the nest last evening thought he was the father because he was sitting on the exact same nest.
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