Red-breasted Mergansers
Although we’ve been experiencing warmer temps, our winter birds continue to arrive into the Chesapeake Bay area. It was a thrill to sight two female Red-breasted Mergansers meandering around the rock base of our Osprey nest platform early one morning.
One even climbed up on a rock to preen for a bit.
When the two females decided it was time to move on, a third female joined them that I had not spotted.
As the three swam around the Osprey nest platform point, they passed off to my left into the early morning sunlight.
No seen very often around our riprap shoreline, these three female Red-breasted Mergansers were much enjoyed, even if only for a few minutes. 🙂
Lovely captures of your “winter birds”!
They are like friends returning for another winter visit! 🙂
Wonderful photographs. Thank you dear Donna, Happy New Year, Love, nia
Thank you Nia, Happy New Year to you also! 🙂
Guess they just stopped by to say “Happy 2016” to you. Warm hopes for you in the new year. Thanks for giving me a look into your world! hugs
It was nice of them to stop by! 🙂 Best wishes for a Happy New Year to you and your family, Beth. hugs
Great photos of the mergansers! This warm winter has been delaying the arrival of some of our winter residents, but after the past two winters, I don’t mind it, they’ll show up eventually.
I’m feel the same, just happy they do visit eventually, our birds must be somewhat confused with all this crazy weather!
Beautiful shots. I have to find some Red-Breasted Mergansers, I miss them. We’ve had such warm weather up until now, the waterfowl have not been hugging the shoreline. I see I’m not alone in this situation! Happy New Year and thanks!
Our birds just don’t realize how important their arrival is to us! 😉 The weather has to confuse them too I’m guessing. Fingers crossed the RBM’s are in your horizon soon! Happy New Year to you too, Lisa, thanks!
I haven’t seen a goosander (our version of the merganser) for some time. I will have to keep an eye out.
Hope you see one soon and have the cam with you, love to see your goosander on your blog.
I will do my best. They are very camera shy and float gently away as soon as they see you get a camera out.
Love the mergansers, beautiful pics, Donna!
Thank you very much!
Very nice captures, Donna. We get many of them on our Great Lakes and the Niagara River, I am just glad this year so far they are not frozen in the ice. Duck populations have been reduced by the two consecutive harsh enters here. I wish to get to your area sometime in the next few years. So much wildlife in better seasons for us humans.
Thanks Donna! I wish I could have gotten better photos but knew if I ran down and out, they’d have already moved on. I hope you get to come someday to the Chesapeake Bay area, you won’t be disappointed!