Tag: Hooded Mergansers

Audubon Morning

A morning walk at Wachusett Meadow is uplifting in any season. Two short video clips included.

Close Up and Far Away

Female, Male and Juvenile Hooded Mergansers on the Wildlife Pond

Blue Jay and Northern Cardinal Near the Bird Feeders

Gray Squirrel Swinging in the Copse Near the Bird Feeders

Common Grackle Hunting Seeds on the Ground

Female and Male Mallard on the Far Side of the Wildlife Pond

Eastern Cottontail with a Gray Squirrel and Sparrows Near the Visitor’s Center

Eastern Towhee and Blue Jay Under the Feeders

Mergansers on the Move

A windy day and choppy water couldn’t stop these Hooded Mergansers.

Wildlife Pond, Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary, Princeton, MA

Springtime Pond and Meadow

What Exactly Is A Hooded Merganser?

These eye-catching ducks, decked out with bold stripes and flamboyant head gear, were back on the pond today. They seemed to enjoy swimming beside the just-arrived Canada geese.

The Audubon says:
“Mergansers are our only ducks that specialize in eating fish. The Hooded is the smallest of our three native merganser species, and often seems to be the least numerous, as it tends to live around swamps and wooded ponds where it may be overlooked. A cavity nester along wooded waterways in the temperate parts of North America, it has probably benefitted by taking advantage of nest boxes put out for Wood Ducks.”