“Hoodies”!
My all time favorite duck is the hooded merganser so I really look forward to this time of year when they begin to arrive in our area.
We saw six “hoodies” yesterday in a marsh pond, three males and three females.
What I find to be both interesting and amusing about these cute little ducks is their head crest which can be raised or lowered. In the first photo you can see this male has his lowered at the moment, but it will be seen raised in all the rest of the photos because that’s how I prefer to photograph them.
To me the comical mergansers are almost like a cartoon bird. Something that was imagined and drawn up for an animated movie.
I love the face of the male with that bright orange eye in his black face and the extremely bright white head crest
The female, with her brown head crest raised has a Bride of Frankenstein look to her I always thought.
The mergansers are very entertaining to watch as they float around the pond occasionally chasing one another around, and when they rise up out of the water and puff out their chests, it truly is an amazing sight!
I’m hoping to have more opportunities to watch and photograph these diving ducks and if some stay around you will all be seeing more of them for sure.
Phil Lanoue Photography 
I kept ducks when I was young and have a very soft spot for them. These are beauties. I’ve not seen them before. Lovely picture Phil.
Thank you very much, ducks are fun birds which I always enjoy observing and photographing. I have previously posted some wood duck photos, the male of that species is particularly handsome. 🙂
Cartoon bird is a good description.
Yeah like maybe a sci fi cartoon. If you wanted to attempt to depict what an animal from another world might look like you could just use these guys, you wouldn’t have to change anything. 🙂
Great shots Phil.
Thank you so much Jan.
Awesome serie of photos!
Glad you like them Hans!
Die sehen fantastisch aus, feiern die auch Weihnachten 😉
Sie sind ideal für den Urlaub 😀
Sono veramente molto belle e le tue foto ritraggono tutta la loro bellezza in maniera eccezionale. Scatti stupendi carissimo Phil
Ciao, Pat 🙂
Grazie. Sono felice di godere delle foto 😀
Oh my goodness! These are truely amazing- both the Ducks and the photos!
Hey thanks Molly, so glad you like the hoodies!
beautiful light! gorgeous!
Thanks very much Ricky!
My favorite duck is the painted wood-duck , but that’s because I’ve never seen hooded merganzers in real life.
The photos are AMAZING as always… and they look like super-interesting birds besides.
I don’t think I’ve smiled this much all day!
I have posted photos of wood ducks previously, the male WD is particularly striking.
I’m glad the pics of these hoodies made you smile, I feel the exact same way. Seeing and photographing the mergansers always makes me happy!
Great animated shots! Beautiful details in these cool ducks.
Thanks Dina I’m glad you enjoyed these photos. Yes they are quite cool little birds aren’t they?! 🙂
Amazing photos, and these ducks are just too cute for words. I can’t wait until I get to see one in real life. Guess I need to start hunting for them around the bay. thank you so much for sharing these beautiful photos.
Thanks a million Emily, so happy you like the hoodies! They are fun to see in person hope you find some.
Cheers,
Phil
What comical looking birds, Phil. They would brighten up anyone’s day. I defy anyone not smile when looking at you wonderful photos of them. 😀
I know right?! They are hysterical and always bring a smile! Love the little hoodies!
Have to agree they look like cartoon characters. As for the female…. are you old enough to remember Phyllis Diller?
Yes they are perfect cartoon characters, they should have their own series or full length movie! 🙂
Good reference to PD, sounds about right. 😀
never seen these ducks before so thanks for sharing.
I’m glad you enjoyed seeing them, thanks!
Beautiful birds!
I’m very happy you like them! Thanks
That are great shots of funny birds. 🙂
Thanks very much, they are quite funny that’s for sure! 🙂
I enjoy looking at your photos. They are as always wonderful – and this bird species is particulary pretty. Its eyes and its really special head are stunning!
Thank you for looking at these photos and I’m happy you liked them!
Wowww!! So beautiful photos :))
Thank you very much, I’m glad you enjoyed these photos!
Beautiful shots of this pretty waterfowl. Really nice captures for sure.
Thanks for you kind comments and I’m happy you enjoyed the merganser photos! I love these little guys!
They are adorable!
They are quite cute aren’t they?! 🙂