Awesome breakdown and images James. I've never seen ones like the Tufted Duck or the Long-tailed Duck. That Mandarin Duck is next level amazing. I know we had them reported occasionally down near Toronto but they have yet to make an appearance in the Ottawa area. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Neil, I've never seen a Tufted either, had to rely on a licensable photo, but Long-tailed I've seen plenty of and they're show-stoppers. I've come to terms with the fact I likely won't see a Mandarin. All the other ducks are more than a fair consolation prize.
Telling a nurse unprovoked, “loons are not ducks” probably had everyone sighing with relief knowing you, were in fact still you! Love these photos. Since I was introduced to birding through waterfowl, they do feel special :)
This piece felt really fun to read. I laughed a lot. Ducks seem to bring a lightness.
Just wow about the Ruddy Duck and their bubbles. Wow about a lot of the details you shared...flying speeds...100 mph, 60 mph. About five or six years ago I began to recognize ducks in flight - not the specific ducks, but the fact that it was ducks who were flying. They seem to flap so hard.
Have you ever seen snow geese migrating? I have twice, the most notable was almost ten years ago, while driving between the northern NM/Southern CO border. It was a bluebird day, and desert for miles in all directions. There were thousands of snow geese in the sky.
You bring to light how little I have truly observed when it comes to ducks, and peak my interest in opening my awareness.
Thank you Emma. I agree on the lightness—and for me it’s a talkative lightness. There are things I don’t shut up when I get going about, ducks are one of them. If I’m ever not wanting to talk for some reason, being asked: “so what makes a Mallard different than a Black Duck?” will get me talking.
I’ve never seen Snow Geese migrating. I would love to, that must have been amazing to see, set against the desert.
Happy to contribute to your drive to observe ducks. Thank you as always for reading.
I need to bookmark this post for all of my duck id needs, this is epic, thank you for pulling this together!
American Black Ducks warmed me up, because they were so fun to watch while I was exploring desolate beaches in Maine. Hooded Mergansers were the spark, they are what helped me realize how wild and beautiful all of the different ducks are. They were my first duck this year and thanks to an amazing bird club weekend I have added 4 new lifer ducks this year.
Wow, four in a year before February! Impressive birding, Scot. Hoodies are great spark ducks. American Black Ducks never get old, because they're never effortless. Black Duck or Mallard; Mallard or Black Duck. Thank you for reading.
Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the number of images you present to us. I want to savor each one. I want to understand the complexity involved in each image capture. I have long been interested in birds- but where do I start as a layperson? I normally live on a lake and have a summer home on a lake so see quite a variety .... I would love to capture these as memories. Where/ how did you start?
Thank you. If you want to start learning birds—I hope this doesn’t sound like a lazy answer—just start! Figure out a nearby birding spot and go often. Your lakes sound ideal. If you have access to a camera, eventually bring it along, but start with binoculars. The value of books cannot be overstated. Merlin and the internet are great (definitely download Merlin and eBird) but they aren’t local field guides written by local experts. Don’t only seek out local bird books, though. Jennifer Ackerman has great ones, Sibley is invaluable. If there’s a species you feel naturally drawn to, a “spark bird,” let it be a driver to get you out birding. It also helps to find people to bird with, maybe a club. Also, I know you just know of me through Substack, but please consider me a resource. Message me here whenever, or email me directly. It’s exciting to want to learn birds!
Just go for it, as James invites! I started a couple of years ago with almost zero knowledge. I can't tell you how much joy (and improved wellbeing) birding has added to my life. And it's amazing how much you absorb along the way by just starting to notice. The learning gradually compounds. I still feel like an absolute novice but I can actually ID quite a few birds now that I never even used to sense at all. The Merlin app is incredible! Highly recommend. And if you can borrow or buy some binoculars, I'd also highly recommend. Even just sitting for a while watching a common bird in your garden or in the park through the bins is fascinating. We also printed out a tick list from the internet. So even just ticking off and putting the date you saw it and where can help you capture the memory if that's also important to you.
When I was out filming the other day I spent a couple minutes calling a flock of mallards that kept circling but wouldn’t commit to land with some guy quacking at them.
They can be fickle! It's either/or with Mallards. They're either all-in on sharing space, or they're long gone the second you get too close. Thank you for reading and commenting, Cameron.
James, This is such a informative post and there's so many great photos. I really enjoyed learning about ducks I was not at all familiar with! Thank you for enlightening me on how special ducks are!
Holy moly! What a treasure trove. This gallery pairs really well with coffee
I think Surf Scoter is my spark duck. That's the one I saw in Lake Lansing in central Michigan and couldn't believe my eyes, both that it looked like that and that it was there at all
I had to laugh about the Pied-billed Grebe because I once said "No one's favorite bird is a Pied-billed Grebe. I hope that's not true though
Glad you enjoyed this with a nice Saturday morning cup! Surf Scoter in Lake Lansing is an excellent spark duck. They always evoke a “holy shit, that bill!”
Good to know I’m not alone in my opinion of Pied-billed. Horned? Elation. Red-necked? Same thing with added unexpectedness. Pied-billed get a contented meh. Thank you for reading, Nate.
What a wonderful day for distraction from all the BS. Between you with the ducks and geese on Rock & Hawk, and Bill Davison with the crows on Easy by Nature, very refreshing. Thank you, Mr. Freitas.
I hand raised a baby wood duck years ago, part of my job, (a local licensed rehabber aware and available to help). A year later she returned to our shelter and pond with her own brood of 8. Maybe that’s my next essay. I learned so much from that one little duck!
I would love to read that essay! We understand so little about birds. It's fascinating that Wood Duck knew where to return, who to return to, wanted to and did. Thank you Sandra.
Amazing photography, so good! My favourite duck is the Eurasian wigeon. In winter they gather at the shore below my house, and I love to see their chestnut heads bobbing about.
Ducks, loons, geese, swans, etc., they all make me ridiculously happy. I’m so glad you write about more common birds too because they are simply amazing (and overlooked!). There are so many different ones and I wish I knew more about them. Thank you for sharing, James!
Thank you Aria! So many species to enjoy, too often overlooked is right. It makes more sense to me to learn about birds you’ll see each day vs devote your studies to a bird you might see twice in your life. Appreciate you reading and commenting.
Awesome breakdown and images James. I've never seen ones like the Tufted Duck or the Long-tailed Duck. That Mandarin Duck is next level amazing. I know we had them reported occasionally down near Toronto but they have yet to make an appearance in the Ottawa area. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Neil, I've never seen a Tufted either, had to rely on a licensable photo, but Long-tailed I've seen plenty of and they're show-stoppers. I've come to terms with the fact I likely won't see a Mandarin. All the other ducks are more than a fair consolation prize.
Telling a nurse unprovoked, “loons are not ducks” probably had everyone sighing with relief knowing you, were in fact still you! Love these photos. Since I was introduced to birding through waterfowl, they do feel special :)
Thank you Victoria--tough to think of a better on-ramp to birding than waterfowl!
This piece felt really fun to read. I laughed a lot. Ducks seem to bring a lightness.
Just wow about the Ruddy Duck and their bubbles. Wow about a lot of the details you shared...flying speeds...100 mph, 60 mph. About five or six years ago I began to recognize ducks in flight - not the specific ducks, but the fact that it was ducks who were flying. They seem to flap so hard.
Have you ever seen snow geese migrating? I have twice, the most notable was almost ten years ago, while driving between the northern NM/Southern CO border. It was a bluebird day, and desert for miles in all directions. There were thousands of snow geese in the sky.
You bring to light how little I have truly observed when it comes to ducks, and peak my interest in opening my awareness.
Thank you Emma. I agree on the lightness—and for me it’s a talkative lightness. There are things I don’t shut up when I get going about, ducks are one of them. If I’m ever not wanting to talk for some reason, being asked: “so what makes a Mallard different than a Black Duck?” will get me talking.
I’ve never seen Snow Geese migrating. I would love to, that must have been amazing to see, set against the desert.
Happy to contribute to your drive to observe ducks. Thank you as always for reading.
The shoveler always makes me smile!
The detail in your photographs is wonderful.
Ducks are gorgeous creatures.
Thank you so much, Teyani. They absolutely are beautiful—they make photography less difficult by looking how they do!
I need to bookmark this post for all of my duck id needs, this is epic, thank you for pulling this together!
American Black Ducks warmed me up, because they were so fun to watch while I was exploring desolate beaches in Maine. Hooded Mergansers were the spark, they are what helped me realize how wild and beautiful all of the different ducks are. They were my first duck this year and thanks to an amazing bird club weekend I have added 4 new lifer ducks this year.
Wow, four in a year before February! Impressive birding, Scot. Hoodies are great spark ducks. American Black Ducks never get old, because they're never effortless. Black Duck or Mallard; Mallard or Black Duck. Thank you for reading.
Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the number of images you present to us. I want to savor each one. I want to understand the complexity involved in each image capture. I have long been interested in birds- but where do I start as a layperson? I normally live on a lake and have a summer home on a lake so see quite a variety .... I would love to capture these as memories. Where/ how did you start?
Thank you. If you want to start learning birds—I hope this doesn’t sound like a lazy answer—just start! Figure out a nearby birding spot and go often. Your lakes sound ideal. If you have access to a camera, eventually bring it along, but start with binoculars. The value of books cannot be overstated. Merlin and the internet are great (definitely download Merlin and eBird) but they aren’t local field guides written by local experts. Don’t only seek out local bird books, though. Jennifer Ackerman has great ones, Sibley is invaluable. If there’s a species you feel naturally drawn to, a “spark bird,” let it be a driver to get you out birding. It also helps to find people to bird with, maybe a club. Also, I know you just know of me through Substack, but please consider me a resource. Message me here whenever, or email me directly. It’s exciting to want to learn birds!
Wow! Thank you so much! I have so much to learn! I’ll look into the things you have suggested.
Just go for it, as James invites! I started a couple of years ago with almost zero knowledge. I can't tell you how much joy (and improved wellbeing) birding has added to my life. And it's amazing how much you absorb along the way by just starting to notice. The learning gradually compounds. I still feel like an absolute novice but I can actually ID quite a few birds now that I never even used to sense at all. The Merlin app is incredible! Highly recommend. And if you can borrow or buy some binoculars, I'd also highly recommend. Even just sitting for a while watching a common bird in your garden or in the park through the bins is fascinating. We also printed out a tick list from the internet. So even just ticking off and putting the date you saw it and where can help you capture the memory if that's also important to you.
Thanks for the suggestions!
When I was out filming the other day I spent a couple minutes calling a flock of mallards that kept circling but wouldn’t commit to land with some guy quacking at them.
They can be fickle! It's either/or with Mallards. They're either all-in on sharing space, or they're long gone the second you get too close. Thank you for reading and commenting, Cameron.
So many gorgeous ducks! But the King Eider nibbles my socks off.
Thank you Diane! King Eider is a very special duck.
James, This is such a informative post and there's so many great photos. I really enjoyed learning about ducks I was not at all familiar with! Thank you for enlightening me on how special ducks are!
Thank you Pamela! There are so many wonderful ducks
Holy moly! What a treasure trove. This gallery pairs really well with coffee
I think Surf Scoter is my spark duck. That's the one I saw in Lake Lansing in central Michigan and couldn't believe my eyes, both that it looked like that and that it was there at all
I had to laugh about the Pied-billed Grebe because I once said "No one's favorite bird is a Pied-billed Grebe. I hope that's not true though
Glad you enjoyed this with a nice Saturday morning cup! Surf Scoter in Lake Lansing is an excellent spark duck. They always evoke a “holy shit, that bill!”
Good to know I’m not alone in my opinion of Pied-billed. Horned? Elation. Red-necked? Same thing with added unexpectedness. Pied-billed get a contented meh. Thank you for reading, Nate.
Just discovered Buffleheads on our local lake. They are my favourite duck right now. Nice photos and write-up.
Thank you Doug. Bufflehead is tough to beat for a favorite! Though picking a favorite duck can sometimes feel impossible
We really should not play favorites. :)
What a wonderful day for distraction from all the BS. Between you with the ducks and geese on Rock & Hawk, and Bill Davison with the crows on Easy by Nature, very refreshing. Thank you, Mr. Freitas.
Glad this provided a much-needed distraction today, Gary. Thank you for reading and commenting, as well as the restack.
I hand raised a baby wood duck years ago, part of my job, (a local licensed rehabber aware and available to help). A year later she returned to our shelter and pond with her own brood of 8. Maybe that’s my next essay. I learned so much from that one little duck!
I would love to read that essay! We understand so little about birds. It's fascinating that Wood Duck knew where to return, who to return to, wanted to and did. Thank you Sandra.
Amazing photography, so good! My favourite duck is the Eurasian wigeon. In winter they gather at the shore below my house, and I love to see their chestnut heads bobbing about.
Thank you Julia! I realized I didn’t include any wigeon species after I sent this out. Sounds like you have a wonderful catalog of wigeon memories.
Ducks, loons, geese, swans, etc., they all make me ridiculously happy. I’m so glad you write about more common birds too because they are simply amazing (and overlooked!). There are so many different ones and I wish I knew more about them. Thank you for sharing, James!
Thank you Aria! So many species to enjoy, too often overlooked is right. It makes more sense to me to learn about birds you’ll see each day vs devote your studies to a bird you might see twice in your life. Appreciate you reading and commenting.
Always a pleasure reading your posts
This is an absolute delight. Thank you, James. Many of these I'm fortunate to have seen over here! Ducks are anything but boring IMHO.
Thank you Janelle, and I agree: on the spectrum of excitement ducks are the complete antipode of boring