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By John Garbutt, 2014

To some, winter and Uri are now four letter words never to be spoken again as we enter spring. As a birder, the harbinger of spring, Barn Swallows, have been here since the first of March and are flying past my window. The trees outside are leafing out. This however is about the ducks who visit us in winter.

I always look forward to the annual arrival of wintering ducks. A favorite place to observe and photograph them is Russell Creek Park in Plano. I discovered it a couple of winters ago when using eBird to search the area for Redheads and Canvasbacks. I soon added them to my life list there!

This winter I wanted to get more shots of the ducks as close to their eye level as possible. I enjoy doing photography like this but it strains my arms and shoulders. To alleviate this, I purchased a Platypod Ground Tripod along with a ball head so I could use these tools to support the weight of my camera and lens. Below are some of my favorite memories and moments of this past winter as I tested my gear. I hope you enjoy them also.

Female Lesser Scaup Duck — Female Lesser Scaup Photo by John Garbutt

The males always get the most attention. For me, the female Lesser Scaup is one of my favorite ducks. It may be part recency and availability bias, but their brown plumage, caramel eyes, and white patch on the base of the bill, make them striking. (For Single photos, CLICK anywhere on the photo for a larger image in a new tab)

This female Northern Shoveler swum by to say hello. You can see her fine comb like lamellae which are used to filter out food. (For Gallery photos, CLICK on “LARGE IMAGE” at the bottom of the photo to view in new tab.)

Male Ring-Necked Duck — Male Ring-Necked photo by John Garbutt

The Ring-Necked Ducks were diving for breakfast. I was not sure what they were bringing up to eat. It looks like acorns. They will eat mollusk and seeds. Their gizzards will crush the hard shells. (For Single photos, CLICK anywhere on the photo for a larger image in a new tab)

I named this Ring-Necked Duck, Grumpy Duck. He was not amused at the feather on his back. He was constantly reaching for it. (For Gallery photos, CLICK on “LARGE IMAGE” at the bottom of the photo to view in new tab.)

The male Redhead Duck may compete with the Wood Duck for most striking drake to some. I panned my camera as the Redhead outpaced the Lesser Scaup and Ring-Necked ducks until he was in the frame alone. I was able to capture his third eyelid. (For Single photos, CLICK anywhere on the photo for a larger image in a new tab)

I was able to find some ducks after the winter storm. At this time, portions of this pond and others were still frozen. There was a large group of Northern Shovelers. Groups swim in circles to collectively stir up food. They were not quite in full cyclone mode but it was fun to see a larger concentration than normal at this site. #ShovelerSquad
(For Gallery photos, CLICK on “LARGE IMAGE” at the bottom of the photo to view in new tab.)

I also wanted to photograph this beautiful female mallard I had been seeing. She was much lighter colored than normal. A mocha like plumage. I wonder if some domestic mallard duck is in her blood line?

However, her suitor stepped in front to get his shot taken first.

Female Scaup Preening — Female Scaup preening photo by John Garbutt

Lastly, another female Lesser Scaup shot. She was preening very near so it provided some candid shots of behavior. (For Single photos, CLICK anywhere on the photo for a larger image in a new tab)

With us all hunkered down at home, there has been a worldwide spike in eBird.org observations by citizen scientists. If you’re one of those staying home with more time to gaze out the window, wander in the yard, or play in the garden, consider starting your own list of yard birds and contribute to the eBird database of avian observations.

Have a look at “Discover the Birds in Your Yard and Garden” (https://ebird.org/news/discover-the-birds-in-your-yard-or-garden).

Here are some additional tips…

Report all the birds you could identify. And don’t report the ones you couldn’t. That’s perfectly OK. All of us see or hear birds we can’t identify for a wide variety of reasons.
Select the “Stationary” observation type if you spent time focused only on birding and you didn’t wander more than about 30 yards.
Select “Incidental” type if you were focused on another task, like gardening or working on a project, but you want to report the birds you saw and heard.
Select “Traveling” if you were focused on watching birds, but wandered more than 30 yards, like when you were taking a walk.

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Winter Ducks at Russell Creek Park

Jean Suplick – Discover the Birds in Your Yard and Garden