Hooded Mergansers

Oh, what a fabulous duck! The cold weather has brought a more than typical variety of ducks along with plenty of the typical duck hunters. I spotted the mergansers yesterday and was keen to get a pic today. The males are dressed in the fanciest of feathers, looking like they stepped off the stage of the Lion King. The female is similar in shape, but reddish orange. She is really something. BUT! The croaking call of the male is a show in itself. He rolls his head back and then forward while rolling out a rough 'hau-braugh'. My new favorite!

Snow Ducks

That's my name for the waterfowl showing up after the big eastern storm this past week. Some of these ducks are so new to my eyes, I had to go to my bird books. These are Ring-necked ducks, similar to the bluebills. Guess there is a silver lining in those snow clouds!

Christmas Day Duck

A soft blue day on the Currituck Sound. A quiet day when sound meets sky and the birdsong east and west frame the scene. This lone bluebill paddled near me, as a lone swan stayed far away and a kingfisher rattled past my back.

Small Sampler

Not one of fabric, but one of water and the winter birds that stay around on still day after some tough winter weather. There is a cormorant, swans, ducks and even a seagull. Homes on the northern Outer Banks lie on the eastern horizon.

Early Ice and Snow

This December has brought early bitter weather for much of the country. We have had snow showers and ice on the sound already this month, something we don't typically see until January if we do at all. Today we got snow on the ground and plenty of icy water. Here a swan feeds in the icy water