Buffleheads are the smallest diving ducks, no larger than 16 in (40 cm) in length. They are a joy to see as they appear to be constantly smiling and moving about, bobbing, and diving to find food. They swallow their catch of crustaceans (shrimps) and mollusks under water, and I have yet to see a photo of one Bufflehead holding food in its short, smily bill.
In past years I usually had a hard time taking good pictures of them, especially the male ones, because their eyes are often lost in the dark patches around their heads. This year sunlight was with me, most of the time, as you can see in the following photos.
Glorious images … and yes the sunlight sure was with you ๐
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Thank you Julie!
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I’d say that these are great images of the bufflehead, as I have the same problems when trying to photograph them, especially capturing the beautiful colors of the males as you did so well!
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Thank you Jerry! This was the first time I actually saw all the colors on the male’s head.
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Wonderful work in capturing the images. ๐
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Thank you!
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Well done on the eye-lights, Hien! They are hard to capture the light unless turned just right in the sun. ๐
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Thank you Donna!
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I appreciate the shot with the Canadian geese, to put your descriptions to a visual scale.
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They seem Lilliputian compared to the Canada Geese!
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They do have smiley bills! Great photos! You made great use of the light to capture their eyes and feathers beautifully. ๐
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Thank you! I still wish for a longer and better lens to photograph them even closer.
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Adorable ducks!
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Thank you Irene!
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Sweet series, Hien. These ducks are adorable!
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Thank you Eliza!
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Fantastic Images. Great to learn about these small ducks
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Thank you Diana!
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Gorgeous shots of these beautiful ducks. I’ve said it before, but the English name “bufflehead” sound so….cute to my ears ๐ ๐
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Thank you Takami! According to Audubon, “The name “Bufflehead” is derived from “buffalo-head,” for the male’s odd puffy head shape.”
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Great photos. The male and female look so different. Glad you had the light supporting you!
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Thank you Katelon!
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They are so cute–and they are smiling!
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Indeed, always smiling!
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