Weather for Ducks!

Tufted Duck

Europeann Goldeneye

Red crested Pochard

Ruddy Shelduck
Mandarin Duck

Battle of the Coots

The Coots were very quarrelsome and were having some battles with each other. Apparently at this time of year they are starting to pair up for the spring.

Longtailed Ducks (Old squaw)

Some more pics from Arundel's Wildfowl and Wetlands Centre. These are Longtailed ducks and apparently in America they are known as Old Squaw

Spectacled Eider Ducks

This was perhaps the strangest duck we saw on our visit to the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust yesterday. They have 4 males there and are hoping to introduce some females soon.
The male spectacled eider's distinguishing marks are a black chest, unlike other eiders, and a large pale green head with black outlined white spectacle-like patches around the eyes. The white throat, neck, back, and folded wing contrast with the black rump, tail, and underparts. Females and young spectacled eiders have light brown patches around the eye. Other unique characteristics of these birds are the pale blue iris of the eye and facial plumage that extends halfway down the bill to the nostrils.
Most spectacled eiders breed along the coast of Arctic Russia, and about 8-10,000 birds breed on Alaska's North Slope. However, since the early 1970s, the number of spectacled eiders in western Alaska has declined by more than 90 percent to about 8,000 birds. This severe reduction raised concern about this bird's future, and in 1993, the spectacled eider was designated a threatened species under the federal Endangered Species Act. Specific reasons for the decline are not certain, but recent studies have shown high rates of exposure to lead in Y-K Delta birds. While feeding in ponds, nesting adults and ducklings are picking up spent lead shot from hunting and are suffering health effects. Both the lead problem and the need to understand the biology of this species have stimulated an intensive research program to help their recovery. The spectacled eider was chosen as the subject for the 1987 Alaska Waterfowl Conservation Stamp.

The Wildfowl and Wetland Trust Centre at Arundel

After the wet weather of friday, we were pleased to wake up to a dry day and decided to go to Arundel. The morning was beautiful and we enjoyed wandering around the Ponds photographing the Wildfowl. Just before lunch we took a trip on one of the small electric boats that silently glides through the reed beds. Unfortunately it was quite a windy day and so the watervoles stayed at home and we didn't see any. Whilst we were having lunch a sharp rain shower passed over. It was much cooler in the afternoon, but we walked all around again and we took a lot of photos . Which will appear on the blog when I have edited them. I will have plenty of duck photos for rainy days! These first photos are just general views of the centre.