Mandarin Duck: From Molt to Magnificent

This gallery contains 5 photos. Over the course of several months this year, I had the privilege of witnessing one of Nature’s most stunning creatures undergo a stunning transformation from egad-what-on-earth-is-that to drop-dead-gorgeous. 

Wood Ducks

This gallery contains 6 photos. As often as I have seen adult Wood Ducks in Metro Vancouver for the past six years, seeing their young up close was still an elusive experience for me.

Green-Winged Teals

This gallery contains 3 photos. Teals are small ducks, and the Green-Winged Teal is the smallest species of [dabbling] duck found in North America. The adults look like ducklings 

Cinnamon Teal

This gallery contains 3 photos. Perhaps the most elusive of the Teals and the hardest to photograph in the Pacific Northwest is the Cinnamon Teal. I have only ever encountered one or two

A Curious Bufflehead Drake

This gallery contains 2 photos. This is the famed Bufflehead drake sentry that calls Burnaby Lake home, and he takes his patrol duty very seriously — giving me a quick onceover as he swings by the floating dock. Buffleheads are

Blue-Winged Teals

This gallery contains 3 photos. I’ve only met the Blue-Winged Teals this year … the first one at Iona Island, followed by 9 at Reifel, and 4 more at Piper Spit; each encounter brought me progressively closer to these

A Wild Goose Chase

This is “The Spat at Piper Spit.” Despite all the Canada Goose goslings who were being trotted out for adoring crowds, there were still brawls going on at Burnaby Lake. This two-way territorial tussle between two Canada Geese 

Toning It Down

This gallery contains 2 photos. In late summer, male ducks shed their often bright iridescent colours for less flashy plumage. This is known as eclipse or non-breeding plumage, and during this period, the guys resemble

Wildlife Up Close: Green Winged Teal Ducks

This gallery contains 2 photos. I did not expect to get so close to Green Winged Teals. These diminutive dabbling ducks (the smallest species in North America) seem to prefer the sanctuary of remote areas to nest, eat, and flock. Photographed at Piper Spit/Burnaby Lake on November 1.