• About
  • Village Teacher
  • Photography
  • Red Rock Country
  • EBF Refuge
  • Big Sur

neihtn

~ Books & Photographs

neihtn

Tag Archives: red-breasted merganser

Red-Breasted Mergansers

23 Saturday Mar 2019

Posted by neihtn2012 in EBF Refuge, Photography

≈ 34 Comments

Tags

photography, postaday, red-breasted merganser

Red-Breasted Mergansers are high energy birds that migrate in the winter to our coastline from Canada. Whenever I see them, they are always busy diving and looking for food. They have to eat 15 to 20 fish a day and must spend 4 to 5 hours every day diving for fish!

I usually wait until they surface to photograph them, and as a result they have a constant wet look with water beading all over their faces and bodies. Both male and female birds have the spiky and shaggy head prized by some young people today.

Red-breasted Mergansers, female behind male.

Male Red-breasted Merganser.

Female Red-breasted Merganser.

Female Red-breasted Merganser.

Male Red-breasted Merganser.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Email
  • More
  • Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

Red-breasted Merganser

20 Saturday Jan 2018

Posted by neihtn2012 in barnegat, Photography

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

barnegat inlet, photography, postaday, red-breasted merganser

Red-breasted Merganser spend their winter on both coasts of North America. There were quite a few of them a week ago swimming and diving in the Barnegat inlet. The male duck can be very striking, and even funny looking with its Mohawk head feathers.

Male Red-breasted Merganser.

Male Red-breasted Merganser.

However, the female ducks are very pretty, with their super model looks and colors.

Female Red-breasted Merganser.

Female Red-breasted Merganser.

Female Red-breasted Merganser.

While they are considered large ducks, they look small when swimming by a seagull.

Female Red-breasted Mergansers and Herring Gull.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Email
  • More
  • Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

All You Can Eat

13 Saturday Jan 2018

Posted by neihtn2012 in barnegat, Photography

≈ 13 Comments

Tags

photography, postaday, red-breasted merganser, ruddy turnstone

Like many of us, shore birds or ducks like to eat and are often busy fishing or foraging for food. Two days ago, I saw quite a few Red-breasted Merganser swimming and diving along the Barnegat Lighthouse jetty. A female Merganser was particularly energetic in her diving and was eventually rewarded with a good catch.

Red-breasted Merganser caught a fish.

Red-breasted Merganser eating fish.

Meanwhile, on the jetty rocks some Ruddy Turnstones were having an all-you-can-eat buffet. These birds don’t go in the water much and prefer to remain on shore where they sometimes can find actual smorgasbords.

Ruddy Turnstones.

Ruddy Turnstone picking at oysters.

Ruddy Turnstone.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Email
  • More
  • Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

The Eyes

01 Saturday Apr 2017

Posted by neihtn2012 in Photography

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

chickadee, photography, postaday, red-breasted merganser, ruddy duck, white-throated sparrow

As bird photographers, we are often told to focus on the bird eyes and make sure they are not only visible but also stand out.

Chickadees are quite common in our area, at any time of the year. Up to now in most of the photos I took of them, their black eyes blend in and are indistinguishable from their black cap. Recently, at sunset, one of them posed long enough with its head turned to the sun, and revealed its bright eyes.

Carolina Chickadee.

The female Ruddy Duck has brown eyes, usually lost in its brown cap, until the sun shines on them.

Female Ruddy Duck.

Sparrows have brown eyes which are more visible, but a ray of sunlight also helped to bring them out.

White-throated Sparrow.

On the other hand Red-breasted Mergansers have devilish red eyes that cannot be missed.

Red-breasted Mergansers.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Email
  • More
  • Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

Two Backyard Birds and a Water Bird

21 Saturday Jan 2017

Posted by neihtn2012 in Photography

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

blue jay, house finch, photography, postaday, red-breasted merganser

For this rainy and bland weekend, I offer three colorful photos taken over the past two weeks.

Blue Jay waiting for me to go away so it can get to the roasted peanuts.

Blue Jay waiting for me to go away so it can get to the roasted peanuts.

A handsome House Finch.

A handsome House Finch.

Red-breasted Merganser.

Red-breasted Merganser near Barnegat Lighthouse.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Email
  • More
  • Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

Loon, Long-Tailed Duck, Red-Breasted Mergansers, Mallards

08 Sunday Jan 2017

Posted by neihtn2012 in barnegat, EBF Refuge, Photography

≈ 13 Comments

Tags

barnegat lighthouse, common loon, long-tailed duck, mallard, photograpy, postaday, red-breasted merganser

A week ago at the Barnegat Lighthouse, many people came to walk along the beach, as it was sunny and the wind was bearable, especially if one wore a good winter jacket or coat.

Barnegat Lighthouse on January 1st, 2017.

Barnegat Lighthouse on January 1st, 2017.

Along the jetty, but away from the swift currents that Harlequin ducks preferred, there were three other kinds of ducks or waterbirds swimming and diving calmly for food.

Common Loon, in itsnon-breeding colors.

Common Loon, a large waterbird in its non-breeding colors.

Long-tailed Duck. This kind of duck can do deep dives up to 200 ft (60 m),

Long-tailed Duck. This kind of duck can deep dive up to 200 ft (60 m). This one was just looking around and enjoying the sun.

Red-breasted Mergansers, a rather large duck compared to the Hooded Mergansers that I have photographed last year.

Red-breasted Mergansers, a rather large duck compared to the well-coiffed Hooded Mergansers that I photographed last year.

Earlier in the day, I saw a pair of Mallards dabbling for food at Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge which has been practically closed due to road repairs for at least half a year now.

A pair of Mallards.

A pair of Mallards. They don’t dive and just dabble for food near the surface of the water.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Email
  • More
  • Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

Recent Posts

  • Young Squirrel
  • February Thaw
  • The Siege of An Lộc – New Review by Meta
  • Village Teacher – New Review
  • Is Spring Coming?

Archives

  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • September 2013
  • June 2012

Categories

  • Acadia National Park
  • barnegat
  • Big Sur
  • Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge
  • Bombay Hook National Widlife Refuge
  • Books
  • colonial lake
  • EBF Refuge
  • Great Swamp
  • john heinz national wildlife refuge
  • Moss Landing
  • Ocean City Welcome Center
  • Photography
  • Road Trip
  • The Siege of An Loc
  • Viet Nam Trip
  • Village Teacher
  • Weekly Photo Challenge

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 2,013 other followers

Top Posts & Pages

  • Village Teacher: Genesis
    Village Teacher: Genesis
  • About
    About
  • Weekly Photo Challenge: Reward
    Weekly Photo Challenge: Reward
  • Weekly Photo Challenge: Achievement
    Weekly Photo Challenge: Achievement

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Cancel

 
Loading Comments...
Comment
    ×
    loading Cancel
    Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
    Email check failed, please try again
    Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
    Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
    To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
    %d bloggers like this: