DUCKS RAFT UP ON THE BOARDMAN

Waterfowl often winter on the Great Lakes, but when the bays and lakes freeze over, they are forced to find open waters in area rivers.  As I traveled along Eight Street on Saturday, I noticed that hundreds of ducks were on the Boardman River.

I pulled into the parking spot overlooking the river and was shocked at the numbers I was seeing.  I hardly knew where to aim my camera.  Later that day I learned I wasn’t the only person duck watching.  One seasoned birding observer counted over 800 ducks in a 16 minute segment. 

The Redheads clearly had the greatest numbers on the river.  The pair on the right are incredibly beautiful; the male’s in the foreground and the female’s just behind him.  I was most taken, however, with the duck on the left, a Common Goldeneye. 

Not only was its black and white coloring striking, but I found even more interesting the white, circular patch near the duck’s beak.  It was so fluffy!

As the Goldeneye turned and swam away from me I noticed the markings on its back.  I also saw how powerfully it was paddling.

Another black and white duck had begun propelling itself in my direction.  It was one of the Scaups.  I chuckled at how the angle of the image gave the duck an intense expression.

I quickly saw, however, that the Scaup’s intensity wasn’t meant for me.  It must’ve spotted some prey deep in the water and immediately went into a dive.

 

Bottoms up!

Only the wake bubbles were left behind.