Tis the season for our northern visitors. I’m not talking about the mass migration of “snowbirds”. I’m talking about waterfowl. We have huge numbers of ducks just about everywhere. One small lake behind Costco has become the winter home for ring-necked ducks and lesser scaup. They look very similar. The main differentiating feature is the bill. The ring-necked duck ironically has a white ring on their blue-gray bill while the scaup’s bill is completely light blue. The males’ heads have an iridescence element that changes color in different light. At times their heads have a purple shimmer and other times they shine with a dark green look.
The ducks like the Costco lake because it has a good crop of snails which they devour quickly. If we’re near one of the snail beds, the birds are easy to approach and photograph.
A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
