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.
Julie@frogpondfarm said:
Glorious images … and yes the sunlight sure was with you 🙂
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Julie!
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quietsolopursuits said:
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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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Jerry! This was the first time I actually saw all the colors on the male’s head.
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roninjax said:
Wonderful work in capturing the images. 🙂
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you!
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bayphotosbydonna said:
Well done on the eye-lights, Hien! They are hard to capture the light unless turned just right in the sun. 🙂
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Donna!
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MichaelStephenWills said:
I appreciate the shot with the Canadian geese, to put your descriptions to a visual scale.
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neihtn2012 said:
They seem Lilliputian compared to the Canada Geese!
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Myriam (Myr's Bytes) said:
They do have smiley bills! Great photos! You made great use of the light to capture their eyes and feathers beautifully. 🙂
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you! I still wish for a longer and better lens to photograph them even closer.
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Irene said:
Adorable ducks!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Irene!
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Eliza Waters said:
Sweet series, Hien. These ducks are adorable!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Eliza!
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dianaed14 said:
Fantastic Images. Great to learn about these small ducks
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Diana!
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T Ibara Photo said:
Gorgeous shots of these beautiful ducks. I’ve said it before, but the English name “bufflehead” sound so….cute to my ears 😀 🙂
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neihtn2012 said:
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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katelon said:
Great photos. The male and female look so different. Glad you had the light supporting you!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Katelon!
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loisajay said:
They are so cute–and they are smiling!
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neihtn2012 said:
Indeed, always smiling!
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