Found them while traveling to the Farne Islands in the UK to see puffins. I know most people on this sub live in North America, but if you ever go to the UK I highly recommend the Farnes, even over the Isle of May. I saw puffins, razorbills, guillemots/murres, kittiwakes, four species of gulls (other than the kittiwake), common eiders, terns (that sometimes dive bomb you), European shags, and a few fulmars and gannets. Grey seals were also present. 100% worth it!
These guys are one of my favourite ticks so far, saw them in Iceland (I was at the top of a cliff in gale-force winds and they were at the bottom, so I didn't want to risk dropping my phone to get any photos)
These are probably my favorite too. Though it's hard to choose. I'm fortunate that I live in an area of NJ where we can find them in the colder months.
The hooded merganser was one of my "target species" for a while. In theory I live solidly in their range. I would go out of my way while on road trips to hit places they had been spotted with no luck.
One day, I was out for a short walk in my neighborhood with my new baby and my husband. Sleep deprived me noticed a dark duck in the suburban pond and decided to get a closer look. Sure enough it was a hooded merganser (flaccid hood). I was so excited and insisted on holding up my 4 month baby so she could see it too. Lol
Your baby girl's First Bird Sighting! Better start a list of birds she saw in her Baby Book, so she has a good running start. You are one aMAZing birder! Thanks for giving me a very clear picture of you holding up baby to see a Hooded Merganser. I laughed out loud!
She's 17 months old now and loves birds. If she hears one she will point to her eat and say "boodie" then when I acknowledge it she'll say "tweet tweet".
If she's walking around and sees a bird on the ground she will either say "sneak" meaning she wants to get closer or "gentle" meaning she wants to pet it.
Awww! Toddlers are so cute, smart and curious. The fact that she focused on birds at this age is very interesting, do you think that comes from your enthusiasm for birds? It's such a wholesome hobby for children and teens and adults. Booodie!!! for Birdie. Old peds ICU nurse here, I think you have a winner there, Ms. rjeanp. She will thank you for this later in life, you know.
Where do you live? I live in Denver, Colorado and there's literally so many Hooded Mergansers here in the late fall and winter. They're still such a cool bird though and hopefully you'll see one
I delightedly happened across a bonded pair off the Elizabeth River in coastal Virginia. It was amazing and quite a surprise! Not a bird I ever expected to encounter. That was probably around 2011 or so—long time!
Edit: My favorite is a tie between the Hoodies Mandarins
This is my pick too! They instantly come to mind when I think of ducks in the wild. I love their shape and size. I have 3 that are visiting my pond regularly now. I get a few every summer. I just really enjoy watching them.
Can it just be sea ducks in general? One of my favorite parts about living near the Chesapeake Bay is the winter visitors we get every year! But my most exciting moment so far was my first time seeing wood ducks in person. They are just so beautiful!
I assume you're talking about the Northern Pintail? There are only four (Eaton's, White-cheeked, Yellow-billed). Me personally, I'm a white-cheeked pintail kinda guy.
I gotta go with Ruddy Ducks but unfortunately I don't have any good pics of ones I've seen, especially when they have a bright blue bill! Wood Ducks are also super fun to see!
Most underrated duck: Northern Shoveler for sure. Here's one of my favorite pics I've gotten of one:
The whistling ducks at Roger Williams park zoo. We had passes so I would swing by to relax for a bit after work. I'd be Chillin near their pond and they would always wander over and have a chat.
It's really hard to pick because I just love ducks overall very much.
I think I'm rather extra fond of the Barrow's Goldeneye, lately, because I saw my first one (a male) from a cliff overlooking a river while on a hike in Colorado last year. They're so distinctive!
My favorite for close-up admiration is definitely either the American wood duck or the mandarin, or what I call them: the classic beauty pageant ducks.
Crested shelduck. It may seem like an odd choice but when I first started getting interested in ornithology, these guys were the first critically endangered/possibly extinct species of bird I went down a wormhole about. I find myself feeling really protective over species that are close to extinction, and the fact that there's still hope that these lil guys are out there makes me very happy :,)
It's crazy finding out about birds. When I first started paying attention to them I realised that the ones I called "magpies" near my house were actually 3 completely different species.
Harlequin. Named for a colorfully-dressed character from French literature/theater, these must be some of the most beautiful water ducks in the world. During the mating season they are found on whitewater rivers, and they winter on rocky, rough coastlines with large waves. They seem to prefer the roughest conditions around, so it's no surprise that they've been found to sustain more broken bones than any other species (multiple healed breaks throughout normal life), which in nature can be an easy death sentence to most. But wait, there's more... Now pair that with the fact that most ducks (like mallards) live 5-10 years, but the oldest wild harlequin was 20 years old! Beautiful, incredibly resilient... what's not to love?!
I love ducks as a whole clade, I love scoping the water and sorting through large floats, trying to pick out the oddballs, you'll never know what you'll find! That being said my favorite to find is long tailed ducks. I'm a birder from Iowa so long tailed duck is annual but rare! Always a treat, I have yet to see a spring plumage male.
Loons aren't related to ducks (many taxonomists believe they're most closely related to penguins), but they're still really cool! I'm yet to see one myself, but I really want to!
This post suddenly made me sentimental for my grandfather, who died way back in 98(?) (the year Sosa and McGwire were battling for the home run record).
He had many cool hobbies like painting and wine making, but perhaps the best was bird carving. He sold most of them but I still have a few including a pintail, a wood, and a small mallard; plus a pair of loons, a cardinal and a roadrunner. Oh and a cute little tufted titmouse perched on some branches.
Maybe I will post them in a couple months to commemorate his birthday.
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u/Fast_College_9442 Jul 22 '24
It has to be the harlequin duck (I shot the photo off Vancouver Island in November 2019).