NATURE CLICKS #552 - RED-BREASTED MERGANSER

Male Red-breasted Merganser, Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, California

There is a chance that a Red-breasted Merganser can be spotted here in Iowa during migration time but all photos of this species in my library were made in the Bolsa Chica Wetlands in southern California. They breed up north from Alaska across the continent all the way to Newfoundland but some spend the winter along the Pacific coast down to Mexico.

Female Red-breasted Merganser, Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, California

I wrote more than once here in my blog that a gray sky and birds in flight or birds on the water don’t go well together for a great photo. You can see by looking at both pictures what a difference it can make. While the male merganser flaps its wings and enjoys the early morning sun, light and colors just invite the photographer to make the click. A couple hours later, about mid morning, a bank of clouds had moved in front of the sun. The colors of the female Red-breasted Merganser still stand out but the surrounding water, reflecting the gray sky, takes a lot away from the image.

NATURE CLICKS #420 - HOODED MERGANSER

Male Hooded Merganser, Mississippi River, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

As many times before I used my car as a mobile blind while watching for birds and taking pictures in the Green Island Wetlands yesterday. The Hooded Mergansers are usually very shy and take off quite often even before the car comes to a standstill. But love is in the air already and I watched several males competing for the attention of a female. This is our chance to make a successful click because they are distracted. The Hooded Merganser is the smallest of the three species found in North America. They find their prey underwater by sight. A third eyelid, the nictitating membrane, is clear and protects the eye during swimming. Beside aquatic insects, crustacians, frogs, plants and seeds, they feed on fish, capturing them with their serrated and hooked bill (see photo). More to come…please stay tuned!

NATURE CLICKS #333 - HOODED MERGANSER WITH OFFSPRING

When I took the pictures of the Sora I posted yesterday a big smile was already in my face. A little earlier I watched this female Hooded Merganser, surrounded by six tiny feather balls. They were swimming in one of the canals parallel to the gravel road that goes across the Green Island Wetlands. The mother was pushing them and made sure all six little mergansers kept up with her. They goofed around a lot and sometimes mom had to stop and wait. Finally, pretty close to the end of the canal, the whole train stopped. They had reached obviously their nest site. As little as they are, it must have been one of their first excursions with the mother. So, where was the male with its beautiful crest and white patches? Well, as soon the female begins to incubate, the male abandons her...

PANNING WITH THE MERGANSERS

Just a short post today. Here is another photo from my tour along the Mississippi. These Common Mergansers were in food competition with the pelicans at lock & dam #14 (see my last post). They were on a constant move about the best positions and fishing grounds. I prefer to handhold my camera and long lens while watching out for Bald Eagles and it works for the mergansers as well. It allows me to pan with the lens even at a short distance and panning is the only way to get the head of the bird sharp. The image was made at 500 mm, 1/350s, f/8, ISO 200.