Winter Ducks Are Here
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season! Ours was awesome up until our daughter had a medical emergency the wee hours of New Year’s Eve Day, followed by surgery, that was prolonged with slight complications. She is now home resting well, and I am now back home too catching up.
A quick post to get me back on my blogging track, I took some time before the end of December to capture of some of the winter ducks that have arrived on schedule along Cambridge’s Choptank River waterfront near Great Marsh Point.
It’s always a good photo-op day when there’s an awesome mix of ducks! This photo captured the five species there that day.
There are five duck species here! Can you find each one?
(Mallard, American Wigeon, Canvasback, Redhead, and Lesser Scaup)
A few close-ups…..
American Wigeon (male)
American Wigeon (male)
American Wigeon
Lesser Scaup (female)
Lesser Scaup (male)
Lesser Scaup
Lesser Scaup (male)
Another local place for me to visit often to see who shows up!
Photos by Donna 
What a delight that must be to see so many ducks at once! What a scare with your daughter! That must have been one stressful night. I am glad she is at home, resting, and recovering.
Thank you, Jane, me too.
I’m glad that your daughter is recuperating! That must be a big relief!
Amazing to see that many species in one group! Many are ones that I would not see here.
Thank you, Terry, our daughter is doing much better every day. As to those ducks, it was quite neat to see all of them at one time! It was challenging to get all 5 in one photo lol. 🙂
Sending get well wishes for your daughter. Thanks for the great photos. Happy New Year!
Thank you, Martha!! Happy New Year to you too!
Aren’t they wonderful!
I am so sorry about your daughter, but since you posted the ducks, I am hoping she is okay.
Love to both of you.
Love our winter ducks! Thank you, Cindy, she’s getting better each day! ❤ I’m catching up before heading back up to her in couple days.
Hello Donna,
I do hope your daughter is staying warm, and recovering well. Wishing you and your family a blessed new year ahead. Thank you for sharing the beautiful winter ducks. They brought a smile on this cold winter day. Please continue to take care!
Thank you very much, Takami! Each day is better for her, so we are all very happy and thank our Lord. Have a blessed New Year as well! I love winter ducks, I hope to get over to that area on the river again many times in the next few weeks. Some ‘surprises’ can show up. 🙂
Alas, I recognized only the Mallard.
Such a delight to experience.
I send a prayer and a hug out to your daughter.
Thank you, ducks are fun to watch. It wasn’t too many years past that I only knew Mallards too. 🙂 Thank you also for your hug and prayers for our daughter, she is doing much much better.
So glad you daughter’s on the mend Donna. Best wishes for the new year.
Thank you very much, Brian! Same to you!
What an incredible mix of ducks Donna and all so interestingly different to ours. The Mallard is the only one of those we see vagrant to our waters, but only in small numbers.
I love our winter ducks, and boy I get really excited to see them mixed, and to count how many different species at once. I didn’t have but a few minutes to take these photos, so I am eager to go back there very soon. Hopefully, more surprises! 🙂
I’m glad your daughter is feeling better!
Nice to see you back and I enjoyed your photos of some ducks I haven’t seen myself.
Thank you, Belinda! She’s a tough cookie, like her mama. 🙂 Boy, I do love our winter ducks. 😊
I too hope your daughter recovers quickly! The duck close ups are wonderful!
Thank you Deborah! She’s doing well! And I love our winter ducks. 🙂
Beautiful photos!
I hope your daughter feels better soon and recovers quickly. 💕
Thank you, Patty Anne! ❤
So interesting!! Thank you for the great start to a new year. Happy 2019!
Thank you, Beth, and you’re welcome! Happy 2019 to you too!
I love Oakley Street Beach!! It’s the best photo op location around, and your pictures are great — I really like that last one of the male Lesser Scaup. Hopefully your daughter is well on her way to recovery. What a horrible time to have an emergency. Wow!
Thank you, Susan, yes, Oakley Street is awesome! Daughter is doing very well, it definitely wasn’t great timing, catching us all off guard.
Beautiful photos! I hope your daughter returns to good health soon! Happy New Year! 🙂
Thank you times two! She’s doing well! Happy New Year to you too! 🙂
So sorry to hear about your daughter. That must have been awful. Hope all goes well from here on. What a way to start the new year!
Your ducks… what a mob you have there! Eric is much better at picking out the different ducks in a crowd like that. I never can until I get the shots on the big screen and zoom in. Even then… it can be a bit iffy. Great catch of that subtle color on the Widgeon.
Happy shooting for 2019!
Thank you, Gunta, daughter is doing much better, what a scare, and not a great way to start the year. I forgot it was NYEve/Day at that point.
The winter ducks are awesome. I’ve got to get back over there to see what surprises could show. Every day is different and the evening is the best time for lighting. I especially loved seeing so many Amer Wigeons at once.
Happy shooting in 2019 too!
Wow! You just found a super spot for ducks! I need one like that near me. Beautiful pictures Donna. 🙂
Thank you, HJ! It’s an awesome spot to look for winter ducks, sometimes there can be surprise visitors. 🙂
Your news of your daughter’s health issues was sad to hear, but your brilliant images of the ducks cheered me right back up again! I hope that everything is going well in her recovery.
Our daughter is doing well, thank you, Jerry! I’m excited about the winter ducks arrival and want to get back over to see what’s arrived in last few days. 🙂
Nice set of ducks Donna! Glad your daughter is home and recovering!!
Thank you, Reed, times two! Daughter is doing better! 🙂
I hope that your daughter continues to recover well.
The crowd of ducks was very interesting. You did well to spot the different species.
She is doing well, thank you, Tom. As for the winter ducks, it was an incredible mix, something I don’t see often, so it was a treat for sure!
Swift recovery to your daughter!!
Christie
Thank you so much, Christie!!
What gorgeous winter ducks – spectacular!
Thank you, Pam!
I love our winter ducks, Donna. Unlike some of the song birds, they usually stay in place, and even pose for the camera. 😊
Sorry to hear about your daughter’s emergency. I hope she is on her way to a full and speedy recovery.
All the best for the new year to you and your loved ones.
Tanja
You are right, the winter ducks do like to pose, lol. 🙂 Daughter is doing much much better, thank you, Tanja. I’ll be going back up tomorrow to stay and assist her for several days while her husband returns to work. Hoping here the new year is off now to a better start! 🙂
I am glad she is better, Donna. I hope you and she will have a good time together.
We will, thank you! 🙂
A total joy to see your winter duck friends, Donna. Terrific photos. I especially like the whimsy of the lesser scaup stare-down in the last photo. Cheers to a great new birdy year.
Thank you, Jet, cheers to you too for a great new year of birds and wildlife!
Wow! That’s a lot of ducks!! 🙂 Great captures, Donna. I hope your holidays were wonderful and that you are having a great start of the new year.
Thank you Helen! Our Christmas was wonderful but early New Year’s Eve daughter was rushed to ER followed by surgery with complications. THEN my dad is rushed to ER couple days later and released next day. Both are doing well now. I hope the rest of the start of this year is better!
Oh dear. That was a rough start of the year, now you deserve a good rest of the year free of worries and full of bird song. I am happy to hear both are doing well now.