Winter Ducks

 

 

Generally, we don't get big freezes in Kentucky. But when we do, you can always count on seeing a lot of ducks. If the lakes and rivers they normally inhabit farther north are frozen, they can still find open water in Kentucky.

Canada Geese

Although Canada Geese still migrate, many geese have decided to stay in Kentucky year-round. If it gets cold, they can tough it out. And the cold spell doesn't last too long. Just tuck your beak and one foot in your feathers and you can stay warm.

 

Redhead Ducks

Diving ducks, also called sea ducks, are typically birds of large, deep lakes and rivers, coastal bays and inlets. Their speculums (on the wings) lack the brilliance of those on most dabblers. Most patter along the water in taking wing. They all dive for food, whereas dabblers rarely dive. They also have a more rapid wingbeat than most dabblers. So what are these diving ducks doing on a small open patch of an otherwise frozen lake?

Northern Shovelers

Dabbling ducks, or puddle ducks, frequent shallow waters such as flooded fields and marshes. They feed by tipping up rather than diving. When taking flight, they spring into the air instead of pattering across the water. Most swim with their tail held clear of the water and have colorful, iridescent speculum (a rectangular patch at the hind edge of the wing). Since everyone is cold with heads tucked under their wings, you can't rely on the head color for identification. Check the body colors instead. The rusty stomach on this group indicates Northern Shovelers.

Mute Swans and Mallards

The brown stuff on the ice? Bird poop I think.

Mute Swans in flight

Mute Swans have a a bright orange beak, making them easier to identify than the native swans. Mute swans were imported into America, and many have escaped into the wild.

 

The Ohio River is always a good place to look for ducks in the winter. Jeffersonville, IN, has a Fisherman's Wharf along the water which is the place to start. No driftwood to try to peer over or around! This huge raft of ducks is on the upstream end, and you would need a spotting scope to tell the birds apart.

Lesser Scaup

Either bring a field guide along, or take photos of these ducks. Since we don't see them all year,  it's a challenge to differentiate them. You will find white or gray in different locations of the body. Many have red heads, so you can't rely on that alone. Scaup and Ring-necked Ducks are similar at a distance.

Lesser Scaup female

 The Lesser Scaup female is also similar to the female Ring-necked Duck. Of course, you can't see a ring around the neck at all, so I don't know why they are called this!

Ring-billes Gull

Some of my really good birder buddies can tell the difference between species of gulls who come to the Ohio from Northern frozen waters. I usually guess they are Ring-billed Gulls, but you can't see the bill unless they are perched or floating on the water. In flight, you only see the wings.

Ring-necked Ducks

Rings around the necks? No way. But the male Ring-necked Ducks do have a white crescent just below their shoulders and a ring around the bill. I tend to call them Ring-billed Ducks.

Ruddy Duck males winter feathers

And remember, the males of a bird you think you know can change colors in the winter. All these are male Ruddy Ducks, without the stiff tail that stands up straight. 

Eared Grebe in winter feathers

I hard there were some Loons on the river, and thought this was one of them. Closer examination of the photo showed a very short bill, unlike the Loons. Aha, it's not a duck or loon at all, but some kind of Grebe! It has a bright red eye, and a thin white bill. An Eared Grebe, and the first I've seen in winter feathers!