Right away, I saw a male Common Merganser floating leisurely among the reeds. Its green head was in striking contrast to its clean white body and red serrated bill.
The female was floating a ways behind her mate. How different she was to him with her elongated gray body and short-crested, cinnamon-colored head! It was hard to believe they were the same species.
For some reason, the pair suddenly stopped their leisurely swim and pivoted into an immediate about-face.
The mergansers closed ranks and stared intently down stream. I wondered if they sensed a predator nearby. But I could see nothing in the direction where they keenly peered.
I broke out in a smile, however, as ripples in the water gave way to a surfacing beaver. Fortunately, it wasn't a predator. In fact, ducks sometimes build their nests atop beaver dams.
Once the beaver had passed, the merganser pair returned to their leisurely paddle. It was truly a just ducky kind of morning.
As you might guess, this photo story is right down my alley, Karen. I greatly enjoyed both the photos and the text, especially the element of suspense you introduced as the mergansers stared intently down stream. What a relief to learn that the beaver was no threat!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jan. I was really concerned there was a predator coming too! Luckily, it was just a harmless beaver. My neighbor helped me to identify it because I wasn't sure if it was a beaver or an otter.
ReplyDeleteWhat a happy story, Karen, and how wonderful that you caught it all with your camera! Good work!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Pamela. It's such a labor of love for me. Karen
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