“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.

40 thoughts on ““Hoodies”!”

Chillbrook on December 2, 2012 at 5:18 pm said:

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.

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- Phil Lanoue on December 3, 2012 at 8:28 am said:
  
  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. 🙂
  
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lylekrahn on December 2, 2012 at 5:55 pm said:

Cartoon bird is a good description.

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- Phil Lanoue on December 3, 2012 at 8:30 am said:
  
  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. 🙂
  
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janmasyn on December 2, 2012 at 6:03 pm said:

Great shots Phil.

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- Phil Lanoue on December 3, 2012 at 8:30 am said:
  
  Thank you so much Jan.
  
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HansHB on December 2, 2012 at 6:13 pm said:

Awesome serie of photos!

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- Phil Lanoue on December 3, 2012 at 8:31 am said:
  
  Glad you like them Hans!
  
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einfachtilda on December 2, 2012 at 6:22 pm said:

Die sehen fantastisch aus, feiern die auch Weihnachten 😉

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- Phil Lanoue on December 3, 2012 at 8:32 am said:
  
  Sie sind ideal für den Urlaub 😀
  
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Patrizia M. on December 2, 2012 at 6:32 pm said:

Sono veramente molto belle e le tue foto ritraggono tutta la loro bellezza in maniera eccezionale. Scatti stupendi carissimo Phil
Ciao, Pat 🙂

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- Phil Lanoue on December 3, 2012 at 8:34 am said:
  
  Grazie. Sono felice di godere delle foto 😀
  
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Molly Argo on December 2, 2012 at 7:20 pm said:

Oh my goodness! These are truely amazing- both the Ducks and the photos!

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- Phil Lanoue on December 3, 2012 at 8:34 am said:
  
  Hey thanks Molly, so glad you like the hoodies!
  
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Ricky Simpson on December 2, 2012 at 7:21 pm said:

beautiful light! gorgeous!

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- Phil Lanoue on December 3, 2012 at 8:34 am said:
  
  Thanks very much Ricky!
  
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Theresa Johnson on December 2, 2012 at 7:50 pm said:

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!

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- Phil Lanoue on December 3, 2012 at 8:37 am said:
  
  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!
  
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dinajohnston on December 2, 2012 at 8:17 pm said:

Great animated shots! Beautiful details in these cool ducks.

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- Phil Lanoue on December 3, 2012 at 8:38 am said:
  
  Thanks Dina I’m glad you enjoyed these photos. Yes they are quite cool little birds aren’t they?! 🙂
  
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Bella Remy Photography on December 2, 2012 at 8:56 pm said:

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.

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- Phil Lanoue on December 3, 2012 at 8:39 am said:
  
  Thanks a million Emily, so happy you like the hoodies! They are fun to see in person hope you find some.
  Cheers,
  Phil
  
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adinparadise on December 2, 2012 at 8:58 pm said:

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. 😀

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- Phil Lanoue on December 3, 2012 at 8:40 am said:
  
  I know right?! They are hysterical and always bring a smile! Love the little hoodies!
  
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Gunta on December 2, 2012 at 10:28 pm said:

Have to agree they look like cartoon characters. As for the female…. are you old enough to remember Phyllis Diller?

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- Phil Lanoue on December 3, 2012 at 8:41 am said:
  
  Yes they are perfect cartoon characters, they should have their own series or full length movie! 🙂
  Good reference to PD, sounds about right. 😀
  
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mekala rodrigo on December 3, 2012 at 1:39 am said:

never seen these ducks before so thanks for sharing.

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- Phil Lanoue on December 3, 2012 at 8:42 am said:
  
  I’m glad you enjoyed seeing them, thanks!
  
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Herbstbaum on December 3, 2012 at 3:24 am said:

Beautiful birds!

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- Phil Lanoue on December 3, 2012 at 8:42 am said:
  
  I’m very happy you like them! Thanks
  
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meyer23 on December 3, 2012 at 5:08 am said:

That are great shots of funny birds. 🙂

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- Phil Lanoue on December 3, 2012 at 8:43 am said:
  
  Thanks very much, they are quite funny that’s for sure! 🙂
  
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Solveig on December 4, 2012 at 5:42 pm said:

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!

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- Phil Lanoue on December 21, 2012 at 8:51 am said:
  
  Thank you for looking at these photos and I’m happy you liked them!
  
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jussaraluna on December 21, 2012 at 2:07 am said:

Wowww!! So beautiful photos :))

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- Phil Lanoue on December 21, 2012 at 8:51 am said:
  
  Thank you very much, I’m glad you enjoyed these photos!
  
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petspeopleandlife on December 25, 2012 at 1:45 am said:

Beautiful shots of this pretty waterfowl. Really nice captures for sure.

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- Phil Lanoue on December 25, 2012 at 2:35 pm said:
  
  Thanks for you kind comments and I’m happy you enjoyed the merganser photos! I love these little guys!
  
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Kitt Crescendo on January 2, 2013 at 12:04 am said:

They are adorable!

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- Phil Lanoue on January 2, 2013 at 9:06 am said:
  
  They are quite cute aren’t they?! 🙂
  
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