Lesser Scaup on Cambridge Creek
Another small group of ducks spending their daily life near me on Cambridge Creek are Lesser Scaup.
For a few weeks, it was just a single male Lesser Scaup swimming & diving, checking out the creek, marinas, and other inhabitants.
Here he is with his beautiful blue bill marked with a skinny black tip on the end.
Lesser Scaup (male)
Last week, he was joined by six more Lesser Scaup, two females and four males.
Lesser Scaup
As of today, all seven are still here. Photo ops have been awesome.
Lesser Scaup (male & female)
Lesser Scaup (male)
Lesser Scaup (female)
The best part is they love diving and feeding right off the boat pier below my balcony. Lucky me!
This three-photo series is of three Lesser Scaup diving. In the first photo bottom left, you can see the first duck already submerged. Then just as quickly number two and three were gone. They are quick!
Lesser Scaup diving
Some more of my favorite shots to date….
Lesser Scaup (male & female)
Lesser Scaup (males)
Lesser Scaup
Lesser Scaup (female)
Lesser Scaup (male & female)
It has been a delightful treat getting to watch all the winter visitors up close and personal while they live here temporarily on populated Cambridge Creek.
Wow. I have to check our shorelines and marine waters to see if I can spot a Lesser Scaup around Whidbey Island. Thanks for your story
You’re welcome and thank you! The male’s blue bill is just so amazingly pretty, isn’t it?!! 🙂
Beautiful ducks! Thank you Donna. 🙂
Thank you, HJ, and you’re welcome! 🙂
These ducks are really sweet. Love the males’ lue beaks.
They are, Sylvia, especially those blue-icious beaks!
These are wonderful shots, Donna. Lucky you! I wonder how many of these find their way to your part of the creek from over at Oakley Street.
Thank you, Susan! Hmmmm….with all the chaos that occurs at Oakley Street, maybe our upper creek is a solace place to rest. 😉
Beautiful captures Donna! Lovely to see them paired off.
Thank you, Ashley! The males kept close tabs with their gals, so another one didn’t have a chance. 😉
You are getting some seriously great shots, but my favorite has to be the first one with the beautiful streaks of color on the water ripples.
Thank you, Gunta! 😊
Thanks for sharing these wonderful photos – what a great view of that blue bill! Someone spotted Lesser Scaups near us a year or two ago, but I never managed to see them.
Thank you and you’re welcome! Seeing Scaup in Florida is a pretty awesome sighting! I guess they were looking for a more southerly, tropical winter vacation, ha! 😊
You really captured the beauty of this fellow, Donna! That blue is amazing and how nice to have them right out your door.
Thank you, Ellen! 🙂
Beautiful ducks, beautiful shots! How nice that the original bird invited some friends to join him😊
Thank you, Belinda! Time for a party! 😉
How lovely to have such delightful birds so close to hand.
They are better entertainment than TV. 🙂
Very nice Donna! Ducks are fun photo subjects!
Thank you, Reed, they are fun!
Seeing them is a real treat!
I’m enjoying all these treats!
Such handsome birds – great shots, Donna!
Thank you, Eliza!
Fabulous post
Thank you!
I like those details on the male’s bill and nice to see the pair together. Another favourite arrival in the spring, so a treat to see now. I would have trouble telling the Greater and Lesser apart, apparently some have green highlights and the others have purple, as well as different shaped heads but I am still not sure that I could tell the difference.
Thank you, Jane! I was going to touch on the differences between the Lessers and Greaters. Soon as I get some Greaters’ shots, I try to do a comparison. You’re very close! The Greaters have the green highlights and a rounded, larger head. The Lessers have some green but mostly purple highlights and the back of their head is peaked or crowned and a bit smaller overall. 🙂
Great, look forward to the comparisons! I have heard this, but never got a chance to actually observe.
Those eyes…!
They feel like they look right through you….! 😉
I love these, you’re so lucky to live where you are able to photograph the things that you see from your balcony!