It’s in your nature: Waterfowl watching time
One of the two mostly black and white ducks is the common merganser. It is larger than a mallard (25 inches) and is more common on larger bodies of water. I have seen them on the Lizard and Pohopoco Creeks, too. This one is just surfacing after its attempt to catch small fish. BARRY REED/SPECIAL TO THE TIMES NEWS
The comical buffleheads (male shown here) are the other mostly black and white ducks. Small (13 inches), look for the males sputtering across the water in an attempt to get a female’s attention.
ABOVE: Black ducks, no longer very common, are dabbling ducks like mallards. This one was photographed on the Parryville Dam.
Usually taken for granted, the common mallard duck male is really a beautiful bird. Male and female are pictured here.
Horned grebes, about 14 inches, will be arriving at some of our lakes soon. They dive deeply to catch small fish.
One of the more colorful ducks is the hooded merganser. A male “hooded” swims in Beltzville Dam where it uses its tooth-edged bill to catch and hold small fish.
The American wigeon (nicknamed baldpate) is a dabbling duck. This one was feeding on a small Towamensing Township farm pond.
RIGHT: The female American wigeon is no slouch when it comes to beauty either.
Ring-necked ducks, often found in small flocks, dive to find underwater plants and crustaceans. I don’t think I’ve ever seen them on a farm pond, mostly lakes.
Common loons will be arriving on our lakes soon and sometimes remain there until the first week of May. They are rather large at 33 inches in size.
As Times News readers we probably don’t live on the Chesapeake Bay, Delaware Bay or the Mississippi River Delta.
Neither do we have a 10-mile trip to Brigantine National Wildlife Refuge, Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge or Assateague Island National Park, but we can still find a good variety of waterfowl in our “backyards.”
I chose this column topic because March and April are generally the best months for our local waterways to attract a variety of duck species. It is true that at one of the refuges mentioned earlier, in just one morning of birding with good optics, you could spot 15 or 20 species. But don’t let that deter you, I was able to log 16 species of ducks last year in Carbon County, and my birding buddies Rich and Dave recorded even more.
There have been a few species that over wintered on Beltzville Dam, but the lack of ice cover made it more difficult to locate them on this expansive lake. But the next few months hold promise. Waterfowl that wintered south of our region will begin migrating back through this area and their rest and feeding stops can be close by to us.
Remember that I discussed diving and dabbling ducks in a previous column. The divers, like mergansers, grebes or ring-necked ducks would most likely be found on bigger and deeper bodies of water such as Beltzville, Wild Creek and Penn Forest Reservoirs or Mauch Chunk Lake. So maybe pick a rainy or stormy day and grab the “binocs” and see what you can find.
Meanwhile, don’t overlook the smaller farm and backyard ponds. Dabbling ducks such as mallards, green and blue winged teal, or even American wigeon can be found there. Nonetheless, the only way to add a few ducks to your list is to “get out there.”
Enjoy …
Test Your Outdoor Knowledge: True or False: Cranes and herons are different names for the same birds.
Last Week’s Trivia: Bar tailed godwits amazingly have been found to travel up to eight days straight without resting in their migrations.
Contact Barry Reed at breed71@gmail.com.
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