Birds

Ducks in Autumn

November 13, 2011 by Corey 6 Comments

Autumn is a season of transitions and migrations, a slow descent from summer’s heat to winter’s cold. Sometimes blustery and rainy, sometimes warm and sunny, it is the second best season for birders, only beaten by spring. One of my favorite parts of fall is the long, drawn out duck migration, which seems to never end, with many birds staying put for winter or only moving out when their ponds and lakes are frozen. In particular, I love ponds loaded with dabbling ducks, the teals and pintails, wigeons and black ducks, mallards and gadwalls.  Whether they are drakes in breeding finery or hens in muted shades of brown and white I can’t resist watching them, scoping them, photographing them.  Add in yellow, red, and orange leaves reflecting off of the water that the ducks are swimming in, and, well, wow!

American Black Duck Anas rubripes

All of the photos in this post were digiscoped at Mill Pond Park in Nassau County on New York’s Long Island. Enjoy!

Green-winged Teal Anas carolinensis

Gadwall Anas strepera

Green-winged Teal Anas carolinensis

Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps (technically not a duck)

Mallard Anas platyrhynchos

Gadwall Anas strepera

Mallard and American Black Duck mix

Green-winged Teal Anas carolinensis

Gadwall Anas strepera

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Written by Corey
Corey is a New Yorker who lived most of his life in upstate New York but has lived in Queens since 2008. He's only been birding since 2005 but has garnered a respectable life list by birding whenever he wasn't working as a union representative or spending time with his family. He lives in Forest Hills with Daisy and Desmond Shearwater. His bird photographs have appeared on the Today Show, in Birding, Living Bird Magazine, Bird Watcher's Digest, and many other fine publications. He is also the author of the American Birding Association Field Guide to the Birds of New York.