Fishhawk Lake Wildlife--BuffleHeads are Baaaack!
Every year these lovelies swoop in for some pre-winter quick visit to Fishhawk Lake. They are definitely seasonal birds here. They dip, flap, zip across the water's surface and pair up when the need strikes. Sometimes they hang out in either an all black&white and occasional brownish-maroonish grouping. They definitely don't seem like they are solitary creatures.
The Bufflehead couple remain monogamous for several years, unlike other ducks. This male and female (male is on the left) may have been an item for some time now!
My favorite Bird website, The Cornell Lab of Ornithology had this description for the Bufflehead duck:
A buoyant, large-headed duck that abruptly vanishes and resurfaces as it feeds, the tiny Bufflehead spends winters bobbing in bays, estuaries, reservoirs, and lakes. Males are striking black-and white from a distance. A closer look at the head shows glossy green and purple setting off the striking white patch. Females are a subdued gray-brown with a neat white patch on the cheek. Bufflehead nest in old woodpecker holes, particularly those made by Northern Flickers, in the forests of northern North America.
What I also appreciate about this website is that they offer the sound of the bird as well (click on my highlighted area to hear the Bufflehead).
This one was out in the middle of the lake with his pals, when suddenly he stood perpendicular to the water and flapped his wings like crazy.
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