The Dating Game

This breed has moved up north by now, but sexytime is in full swing for everybody else around here.

Common Mergansers

These beauties are the largest and maybe the toughest catch of the three varieties of mergansers we get on our lake. This shot is from a couple of months ago, just before they flew the coop. More mergansers here.

Menagerie

Three Hooded Mergansers and a Ring-necked Duck. Large here.

Exit Suitor, Stage Right

Prior to this scene the suitor has been actively voguing for the mated female, as seen below the fold:

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Do the Funky Chicken

Three Hooded Merganser drakes, crests fully raised, rock and roll their stuff for some off-camera females. And maybe kind of for themselves too.

Hooded Merganser Drake

Straight out of the camera. Large view here.

Hooded Mergansers on the Wing

Adult male and female. They left town about a week ago, just before the ice melted. Large version here.

Hooded Mergansers

Hooded Mergansers are small, diving, fish-eating ducks. Here an immature male is followed by an adult female. One of these weeks I'll post a shot of the adult male, who is the real beauty of this species. See a low-resolution enlargement of this shot here.