A Raft of Ducks

A raft is one of the many names of a group of ducks, and for some reason this spot was popular with the local ducks. I think we've got 3 species out there:
  • I think the 2 on the right are Mallards, 1 male and 1 female.
  • The dark 1 standing in the middle might be an American Black Duck; at least it looks quite a bit darker than the presumed female Mallard.
  • The other 4 white-bodied ducks are almost certainly Common Mergansers, with 2 green-headed males and 2 tan-headed females.
My impression is that many ducks are pairing up heading into breeding season, so 3 potential breeding pairs makes a certain amount of sense. The (presumed) American Black Duck didn't have an obvious companion, but that doesn't mean there wasn't 1 nearby.

March 16, 2023 at Duke Island Park
Photo 267710181, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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