Northern Shoveler ducks belong to the species Anas clypeata in the family Anatidae. The distinguishing feature of this species is the large spoon-shaped bill. The male in breeding plumage has a blackish head trimmed with iridescent green which is visible when the light is right. His bill is black and his feet are orange. Females have orange feet and orange bills. The female, as you can see, is brown and white mottled to make her hard to find by predators. Did you notice the difference in eye color?

In this image, you can see the reddish brown bellies of the 3 males, their white under-wings, their gray-blue upper wing patch, and their iridescent green specula on the trailing edges of the wings. These colorful markings and their long bills make it easy to identify these birds in flight.

In this image, you can see 2 females and a male dabbling for their dinner. These ducks use their bills to filter food from the bottom mud of the wetlands where they live or visit. In this photo, these ducks were on open water adjacent to a marsh.

In the last image, you can see 2 males and a female shoveler busily sluicing water through their beaks they have filled with mud. They wash away the mud by opening and closing their beaks and the channels in the beak trap plant and small animals that they eat.

We get to see Shovelers in Texas during the winter when they migrate in from colder places to visit until spring. Beautiful ducks!

I rarely have seen this species in large groups,  at most 4 to 10 individuals would travel around the places I look for waterfowl. They are much larger than the mallards which folks mistake them for. They are interesting to watch if you can get close enough. I shot these images with a 300mm lens from some distance away and I have enlarged portions of these images I used to make the images you see here. Someday, I will be able to afford longer lenses but they are usually heavy and require a tripod. I try to keep my gear light and mobile so I can move readily to capture something interesting.

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Pictured is a Canada Goose, Branta canadensis, on the bank of the Hamilton lake near Hot Springs, Arkansas. This bird was part of a flock of 20 individuals who came visiting to the grassy bank near the house we were renting for the weekend.

He and his pals had paddled down the lake and jumped out to sample the greenery.

The lookout always kept his eye on me and his surroundings just in case he needed to get the flock out of there.

A quick meal and a little time to preen in the warm sunshine.

Then, it’s everybody back in the pool!

There’s always some joker in the group that didn’t get enough chow; so, a little dabble while the group gathers helps fill him up.

Canadian geese seem to be out of place this far south in July, but changes in habitat use, food availability, and hunting pressure have made some populations of this species year round residents in favorable habitats south of the arctic circle. Pop over to Cornell University’s All About Birds for more information about these wonderful creatures.

I like Canadian geese and I like knowing that they are adaptable to new circumstances. They are fun to watch and photograph even if they make the photographer wonder if they missed the bus to Canada.

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Here there are two male and two female Gadwall ducks visible. The males are in their breeding plumage of brown, grey and black and look very different from their female counterparts who are mottled brown to help camouflage them from predators.

In this image, you can see the fine mottling on the male’s breast and the brown cap he wears with his black beak. These patterns are hard to see at a distance but they are very striking seen close up.

Here you can see Gadwalls leaping into the air from the surface of the water. Notice the white underwing patches and the white specula on the trailing edges of the wings. Males and females show these characters. The Gadwalls belong to the species Anas strepera in the family Anatidae. They spend the winter throughout Texas and migrate north about May.

This image shows a male Gadwall landing. They position their wings and tail to slow their forward motion and land upon their extended feet which act like water-skis for a short distance while they settle to the surface of the water. Notice the white feathers on the margin of the black tail, another characteristic of this species. Also, males and females have yellow feet

Sometimes, Gadwalls are just in the right place to make a beautiful image.

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This image was taken in late March a couple of years ago. I wanted to post this one because it shows all the species of Teal ducks I have yet to encounter. There are seven ducks pictured. The one on the left in the background is unidentifiable for obvious reasons. However, from left to right, a female Cinnamon Teal, followed by a male Blue-winged Teal, and a male Cinnamon Teal, who are trailed by a female Blue-winged Teal. Finally on the far right, two male Green-winged Teals, one up and one down. Tah dah!

You can read more about the various teals by following the links below:

green wing teals

blue-winged teals

cinnamon teals

I love ducks, and Texas has many kinds of ducks that live as residents and others that migrate through the state during the spring and fall. The part of  the state where I currently reside is full of temporary lakes known as playas. These are the places I find all kinds of migratory waterfowl and get to see an interesting spectrum of species that pass through this region. The ducks in these photographs and the related posts were seen on the Fort Worth Nature Center and Preserve. Habitat for these creatures is essential and wise land management choices means we will have them to enjoy in the future.

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This picture was taken in late August several years ago and shows the male wood duck, Aix sponsa. This bird is exhibiting his nonbreeding season or eclipse plumage. The intensely colorful
head of the breeding season male has become more subdued and resembles the female wood duck in coloration. The white patches on this individual’s cheek and throat as well as the white and reddish colors on his bill mark this duck as a male.

These ducks nest in tree cavities and prefer wooded habitats near water. In Texas, these guys can be seen as migratory birds in wetlands throughout the state and some can be found as residents in east Texas. They occur throughout most of North America and they like to winter in Mexico and Cuba.

The above picture shows a male Wood Duck in breeding plumage. It was a long-shot on a cloudy day so it doesn’t do justice to the dark, iridescent blue- green crest that makes the helmet like shape of the head. You also get a faint indication of the ruby red eyes that contrast strikingly with the darkly iridescent feathers on the face, cheek and crown of the head. Also, note the distinct white patch on the upper surface of the bill which has faded to nearly imperceptible on the eclipse individual. Finally, you can see that the white accent stripes are gone along the sides and rump. In either phase, Wood Ducks are flamboyantly feathered because of their iridescence and are easily distinguished from other ducks.

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Pictured above is a male American Widgeon, Mareca americana. This duck belongs to the subfamily Anatinae of the family Anatidae-the ducks, geese, and swans. The surface feeding ducks or dabbling ducks as they are sometimes called feed by dipping their heads underwater to reach water plants and seeds they consume. Sometimes people call this duck Baldpate which refers to the white patch on the top of their head. Their black eyepatch turns into a iridescent green ear patch. When you couple these characters with a skyblue upper bill, you have a easily identified duck.

The photo above shows 3 ducks. You would think by proximity that you have a mated pair of American Widgeons being followed by some other duck. You would be wrong. The American Widgeon is by himself and the female Gadwall next to him is being pursued by a suitor of her species. Gadwalls are another member of Anatinae and their scientific name is Anas strepera.

In the image above, you see 5 ducks. The sleeping duck in the background may be a Readhead, Aythya americana who belongs to the diving duck tribe Aythyini of the Anatidae family. He is not important to this story so he can be ignored.

In the middle of the image, from left to right, you are seeing 2 male American Widgeons, 1 female American Widgeon, and a male Gadwall. I included this picture to show how a female American Widgeon looks. The female is uniformly reddish brown on the breast and her head has a grayish cast to it. Her bill, like the male’s, is light blue on top. Also take note of the males’ ear patches, because of the angle of the light they look bluish black instead of their usual flashy green.

This image also shows that lots of species of ducks share the same habitat and this can provide the viewer with some spectacular choices of beautifully colored birds. It also reminds us of the need for preserving habitat if we want to keep these species in our lives and on our planet.

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In the next image, Two males and two females are seen paddling along together. The beaks of all of these individuals have grey mud on them which makes their black beaks look different than normal. Note the male on the right has gray mud stuck to his forehead which also confounds identification. However, the white shoulders and backs of the males and their deep chestnut heads and red eyes makes these unmistakably Canvasback ducks. The females are similar in markings but more muted in head color and mottled on the shoulder and back.

In the third image, 3 males and two females are dabbling for food. Notice the female on the right who is filtering with her beak. Also, her head is covered in mud up past her eyes which shows the depth they will penetrate into the bottom mud for food.

The final image shows a flock of feeding Canvasbacks many with mud far up on their heads. You can see the cherry red eye of the male in the center of the photo.

Currently there are less than a million of these birds in North America. If you go to the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s report, you will see that this species’s population has had its ups and downs since 1955 and is currently on the increase. The 2016 population of Canvasbacks is 26 % higher than the long term average size of its population. This is a good thing and is the result of a 100 year conservation effort by the United States and Canada under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to monitor, manage, and promote the conservation of migratory waterfowl and their habitats. Without these activities, we wouldn’t have these beautiful creatures to enjoy. For more information, visit Flyways.us.

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The North American Green-winged Teal, Anas crecca carolinensis, is the smallest of the Teal ducks seen in North America. It is yet another member of the Anatidae family and subfamily Anatinae. The male, as usual, has breeding and eclipse plumage and the female is mottled brown and marked in subtle ways to distinguish her from the similarly marked females of the Blue-winged and Cinnamon Teals.

The male pictured above shows the cinnamon brown head with the iridescent green patch behind the eye. This is one of the distinguishing characters for this species. Note that this patch can appear bluish or black depending on the lighting conditions. The white stripe at the shoulder is another character unseen in the other teals. The light colored rump patch and the grey upper body and tail finish the list of distinguishing characters.

The female, pictured here in flight, is less boldly marked. She is grey above and mottled brown along the neck and sides.She has a gray upper tail with light rump patches underneath like the male. Notice the black streak behind her ear which is reminiscent of the male’s flashier ear patch.

In the third photo, there are several Green-winged Teal in flight. Note the iridescent green speculum (shiny spot) on the trailing edge of their wings. This is the character for which they are named. It is present in both males and females. The speculum can appear deep bluish at times due to the way light is reflected off these special feathers. Can you spot the differences between males and females at this point?

Here’s the rest of the flock, how many males and females do you see? Are there any other duck species present?

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In the first image there are two female ducks and a male Cinnamon Teal, Anas cyanoptera. One or both of the females may be Cinnamon Teal but they also maybe Blue-winged Teal. If their heads weren’t beneath the water or turned so you can’t see their profile, you could look for the white patch of feathers found just behind the beak in Blue-winged Teal females. In Cinnamon Teal females, this patch is tinged with yellow if it is present and can be much smaller than with Blue-winged Teal, or completely absent. So, I refrained from calling them by either name. This points out how closely related these ducks are. They are in the family Anatidae and in the same subfamily Anatinae. They are found together throughout their range because of habitat and food preferences.

The second photo shows a male Cinnamon Teal who has mud halfway up his beak because he has been foraging there for food.

This image shows another male Cinnamon Teal with mud on his beak and forehead swallowing something tasty from deep in the mud. These creatures will eat water plants and seeds as well as tiny planktonic creatures they filter with their beaks.

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Two pairs of Blue-winged Teal begin their day of hunting for food at dawn on a cold March morning.

Blue-winged Teal are dabbling ducks which means they poke their heads and upper body under water to reach food without submerging themselves. This behavior is exemplified by the male and female in the background.

These ducks paddle along and dabble for plant and animal life they pluck or filter from the muddy bottom of the marsh. It’s an all day job.

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