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The Daily Bucket is a nature refuge. We amicably discuss animals, weather, climate, soil, plants, waters and note life’s patterns.
We invite you to note what you are seeing around you in your own part of the world, and to share your observations in the comments below.
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Winter 2021
Salish Sea, PacificNorthwest
It’s that time of year…..ducks! Moar ducks today in the Bucket, this time from the PacificNorthwest and a saltwater bay. As I noted in funningforest’s freshwater duck Bucket yesterday, there’s a different set of ducks in a saltwater habitat. At least up here.
Mergansers in winter sort themselves out with Red breasted mergansers in saltwater, Common mergansers mostly in freshwater and Hooded mergansers equally happy in both. Since I don’t see freshwater ponds very close up, it’s mostly the quiet saltwater bays where I have duck encounters, like these recently.
I could tell as soon as I arrived at my nearby bay that a fair number of ducks were enjoying the quiet sunny afternoon there.
SE facing bay
It took me a while to realize they were both Red breasted and Hooded mergansers. While most of the RBs cruised off, some remained near the shore.
Calm surface, clear wake pattern. Most of the RBs paddled out and around the headland.
Hoodies nearest, RBs a bit further out. One gull lurks amongst them hoping to steal what they catch, although it seemed pretty casual about it and the ducks weren’t too worried. Juv GW gull.
How to tell the difference?
RBs are longer-bodied and float lower. They have a longer bill, and their crest is more raggedy although that can be slicked back when they’re diving frequently, as all these ducks were that afternoon.
Red breasted mergansers:
With Buffie on the right, for scale
Wet crests
Hoodies:
Solid crests, perkier silhouette
Drake with slicked back crest. Buffie for scale.
Youngster RBs stylin...
Eye makeup look is typical for young males transitioning into adult drake plumage
Even more interesting to watch is what all these ducks are doing. I took some video of the activity. They were all diving constantly, meaning foraging for crabs or little bottomfish there in the shallow nearshore water, no more than about 8 feet deep, more typically 3-4 feet deep. Quick short dives, popping up and down with very little splash.
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In general each of the mergansers hung out together with their own kind, but they mingled sometimes too. Mostly amicably but occasionally there’d be a tiff, like here when a RB chased a Hoodie across the surface. It all ended peacefully enough. I suspect that it was more an age thing: most of the Hoodies were youngsters.
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The gull knows these diving ducks have access to deeper water prey, and it’s common to see gulls following them around. This one wasn’t trying very hard to steal anything. It’s fun to watch the dynamics among all the different birds out there.
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Yesterday I saw one Common merganser on this same bay. They are much less common on the saltchuck. Mostly I see them on the lake.
White chin. Same long low body as Red breasteds.
Same size as RBs, larger than Hoodies. Buffie for scale.
It’s always a good day seeing mergansers on the bay.
Hoodies heading off into sunsety waters.
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Sunny and calm in the PacificNorthwest today. The cold is settling in. Currently 32° and trending colder. Prospect of NE wind picking up. We have the woodstove going, will keep it so for the next week until this weather breaks.
Update: some flakes of snow beginning to fall. Not sticking, but a sign of more wintry weather to come?
WHAT’S UP IN NATURE IN YOUR AREA TODAY?
🦐
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