Lady Bufflehead Goes Solo

Single and lovin’ it! The buffalo-shaped heads on their shoulders make them look like ducklings (with oh-so-pinchable cheeks) rather than adults. Buffleheads that I’ve spotted in solitary circumstances are usually female

Deja View with A Lesser Scaup

This gallery contains 2 photos. One of a co-ed flock of five Lesser Scaups, a small diving duck species that make up the less common waterfowl population at Piper Spit / Burnaby Lake. This is the closest that I’ve gotten to a male Lesser Scaup

Return of the Shovelers

This gallery contains 2 photos. Having a swim in their “private” pond next to the Sandhill Cranes at the Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary is a breeding pair of Northern Shovelers. This is the first time in almost a year

The Wonder of Wood Ducks

This gallery contains 3 photos. Having a preen and a pose in the sun. Male and female Wood Ducks dazzle with their respective plumages, and every encounter represents an opportunity to photograph them.

Battle of the Crests

This gallery contains 3 photos. There’s lots to be admired when you’re a Hooded Merganser. Crests are your specialty, whether you’re the male or the female. The ladies have lovely cinnamon crests, and the gentlemen inflatable

A Mysterious Out-of-Towner

This gallery contains 2 photos. This rarely seen migrant was making himself quite at home in the new pond at Centennial Beach (the six Bald Eagles roosting in the trees nearby clearly didn’t bother him!) I happened to have my

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

Buffleheads: The Littlest Ducks

This gallery contains 3 photos. I’ve been waiting to photograph Buffleheads ever since I saw them at Burnaby Lake a few weeks ago. They vie with the Greenwinged Teals for the title of Canada’s littlest diving ducks. With oversized

Wildlife Up Close: Ring-Necked Ducks

This gallery contains 3 photos. Look carefully or else you may miss the dark red ring around the necks of the males of this particular waterfowl species. The males–who possess piercing yellow eyes–also have iridescent black heads that reflect as purple or green in the sunlight.