There were two male Hooded Merganser at the refuge cruising around on a patch of water amid the ice, looking for food. They swam, dove, and came up for air. These small ducks are specific to North America, with the males very noticeable because of their black and white hood.
In the water, Hooded Mergansers hunt for food by sight. They have an extra eyelid, a nictitating (blinking) membrane, that they can deploy to protect their eyes, somewhat like humans who use goggles when swimming underwater. You can see it in the following shot.
They can also adjust the refractive property of their eyes to improve their vision under water.
bluebrightly said:
I’m familiar with Hooded mergansers, which are beautiful enough, but you took it to another level here. The nictating membrane is very cool to see, and I love that wet head! Fantastic.
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Lynn! These ducks are one of the winter highlights.
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RV John said:
Beautiful ducks and you got some fine photos of them!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you John! I do like taking photos of these ducks.
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Nick Hunter said:
Superb captures of one of our more beautiful waterfowl species.
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Nick!
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Emma Cownie said:
Great photos, do most diving birds have this extra eye-lid?
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Emma! Nictitating eyelids are common among many birds and animals. Humans may be on the few species that don’t have them.
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Robert said:
Wonderful captures!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Robert!
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inesephoto said:
These are such precious little ducks. Great captures.
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Inese!
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allentimphotos2 said:
Very cool ducks nicely captured.
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Tim!
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allentimphotos2 said:
You’re welcome Hien. Hope your weekend is going well and it is not too cold to get out and photograph.
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milfordstreet said:
They are so different than the ducks around here. The markings are so sharp and distinctive.
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neihtn2012 said:
You are right about that. The male ones are very easy to spot from even far away.
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de Wets Wild said:
Quite the show-offs, aren’t they!?
Beautiful shots, Hien.
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Dries!
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bayphotosbydonna said:
Fabulous images of a beautiful duck, Hien! I saw HMs twice yesterday and missed all the shots. So I enjoyed yours very very much! 🙂
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neihtn2012 said:
Were they too far away from you? In ebrid.org someone reported weeing two of them today at Blackwater.
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bayphotosbydonna said:
Yes, too far in distance! I saw 2 there three days ago at Blackwater, maybe the same pair? 🙂
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Irene said:
Oh, my goodness! Couldn’t stop smiling as I looked at these beautiful ducks. I think I would be so intrigued by all the birds at this refuge that I would forget to click. 😊
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neihtn2012 said:
There are always some birds at the refuge, any time of the year. You would enjoy it!
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Irene said:
I am sure I would!
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AmyRose🌹 said:
Exceptional shots, Hien! We don’t have these ducks here so it was quite a treat for me to come here to see these wonderful Hooded Mergansers. Thank you so much!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Amy! According to allaboutbirds.org Hooded Mergansers live year round in New York state and even in Ontario and Quebec.
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AmyRose🌹 said:
Well I will be certain to be on the lookout for this duck. I’ve yet to see one here locally. Thank you for the information, Hien.
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ekurie said:
Are their bills really narrow or is that the angle of the shot? They are beautiful.
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neihtn2012 said:
Their bills are indeed narrow.
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