Diving in for a meal


Recently, I had the good fortune to see a sea duck because it had veered away from its usual habitat to land on a pond near the middle of North Carolina. The male long-tailed duck (Clangula hyemalis) is a real looker in his winter plumage. His dark grey bill is tipped by bright pink color and he has large black circles on his white cheeks, which some people think look a bit like ear-muffs.

According to the Audubon Society, these ducks dine on mollusks and crustaceans when they are at sea during the winter. Since this duck had apparently gotten off-course during his winter migration, he seemed to be satisfied now with pondweeds and grasses, which is what they tend to eat in the summer when they are at their breeding grounds.

It is his beautiful long tail (3.9 to 5.9 in, 10-15 cm) that really catches your eye, especially when he dives under to gather up some of his food. His dive appeared to comprise a very slight spreading of wing feathers and then a quick forward and downward movement, ending with his rear end sticking up with the long-tailed plume waving a bit before he straightened out just below the water’s surface.

It was when I watched this duck dive under again and again that I actually stopped to think a bit about how ducks dive for their meals. This bird seemed to stay under water for what seemed a very long time (probably 15-30 seconds). It turns out that they can remain submerged up to a minute. In comparison to other diving ducks, the long-tailed duck spends more time under water than at the surface; in fact, when looking for food, this duck will be under water 3-4 times longer than it stays above water!

When reviewing my photos, I realized that this bird was not diving deep but rather staying submerged just under the surface. My friend Lucretia pointed out that the duck would extend his wings a bit away from his body before he went under and the photos showed his wings spread out.

This must be the species’ diving technique when they are foraging for plant material because it turns out that they are likely the deepest diving ducks in the world, able to go down as much as 200 feet (60 meters) in search of food! So it turned out that we were really seeing quite a special bird.

A pair of bufflehead ducks (Bucephala albeola) were at the same pond and give a nice demonstration of their different diving technique. Their winter and summer diets are similar to those of the long-tailed duck; they, too, seemed to be eating plants during our visit. Their dives were of much shorter duration; they appear to stay under water “only” 12-25 seconds at most.

In contrast to the long-tailed duck, however, they would rear up a bit over the water and then arch their bodies in a graceful dive, popping up again quickly after swallowing their food.


It’s interesting to note that their Greek genus name comes from a term meaning bull-headed, while their common name came from a combination of the words buffalo and head. The male duck can puff out his head feathers, making his head look even larger.

Another duck that can do this is the male hooded merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus); the female can also extend her head feathers, giving herself a crested appearance.

The male and female are quite different in appearance, but both are attractive. Their diet appears to be mostly crustaceans and mollusks.

A female merganser at nearby lake gave a short diving demo the same day as the long-tailed and bufflehead ducks. She, too, tended to perform a shallow dive like the former duck.

Duck watching had not been one of my preferred birding activities but now I’ve become curious as to how other species are executing their underwater forays. Perhaps the arcing-body plunge is a bufflehead specialty – I’ll have to pay more attention to diving techniques from now on!

Braeburn Farm is for the birds!


pond I77A6227© Maria de Bruyn res












Eastern kingbird I77A5683© Maria de Bruyn res





They also pose very prettily on the shrubbery!


grasshopper sparrow I77A7118© Maria de Bruyn res





Savannah sparrow I77A8690© Maria de Bruyn res







orchard oriole I77A7475© Maria de Bruyn res





barn swallow I77A7145© Maria de Bruyn res

barn swallow I77A7139© Maria de Bruyn res


barn swallow I77A6990© Maria de Bruyn res





turkey vulture I77A7105© Maria de Bruyn res






Northern mockingbird I77A7669© Maria de Bruyn res






A blended bird family!

Mallard-pekin duck IMG_0922©Maria de Bruyn resA mixed-parentage duck at one of our local ponds lost a companion recently, leaving him sad and bereft. A fellow wildlife photographer mentioned that this bird, who I am calling Harry, is the offspring of a mallard and a pekin duck (Anas platyrhynchos x Anas platyrhynchos domestica). Harry stayed by the body of the duck who died for a while, clearly distressed.

Another pond resident is a female Canada goose (Branta canadCanada goose IMG_0563©Maria de Bruyn resensis), who I have named Clara; she is currently raising four goslings. Canada geese are monogamous and the fathers help raise the young, but Clara appears to be a single mom. At least, she doesn’t have a male goose partner.

However, Clara is not alone. It appears that Harry has attached himself to the goose family, keeping close to them in the water and on land. He swims with them and follows them onshore when Mama leads the brood to vegetation to feed for a while.

Mallard-Pekin duck IMG_0633©Maria de Bruyn res

Whereas Canada geese that are not habituated to humans will threaCanada goose IMG_0865©Maria de Bruyn resten and even attack people who come too close to their babies, they become pretty mellow when they are often around humans who have shown they will not harm them. Mama kept an eye on all the people taking a stroll around the pond, but she simply shepherded the goslings aside when a person came too close. Harry also kept an eye on the people wandering about.

Goslings are able to feed themselves as soon as they are hatched. They will eat grasses and sedge and also grain if it is available.

Canada goose IMG_0765©Maria de Bruyn resCanada goose IMG_4364©Maria de Bruyn res

They follow Clara’s eCanada goose IMG_4483©Maria de Bruyn resxample when foraging in water, tipping forward and extending their necks and heads underwater to scoop up vegetation and even the occasional fish.


Canada goose IMG_0772©Maria de Bruyn res
The goslings can walk and swim right after birth and manage to run, flapping their stubby wings to keep balanced.

Canada goose IMG_0572©Maria de Bruyn resCanada goose IMG_4487©Maria de Bruyn res

On 21 May, some other Canada geese flew overhead and one pair descended to the pond. Harry flew over to meet them, quacking a greeting, and led them back to Clara and the brood where they kept the blended family company for a time.

Mallard-Pekin duck IMG_1031©Maria de Bruyn resCanada goose IMG_1089©Maria de Bruyn res

On 27 May, I saw Clara and children foraging at the pond with the two visitor geese but Harry was nowhere in sight. I feared that something had happened to him.

Canada goose IMG_3945©Maria de Bruyn resgreat blue heron IMG_4309©Maria de Bruyn res

Later, when I visited in the early morning, Clara and the kids were resting and then foraging while a great blue heron (Ardea herodias) fished nearby; Harry was nowhere to be seen. I felt a twinge of sadness.

My feelings were unfounded, however. As Clara and brood swam toward the other end of the pond and I accompanied them walking along the shore, I suddenly saw a brown-headed duck with twin curls by his tail swimming near shore. As Clara came into sight with the four babies swimming in line behind her, Harry began quacking and quacking as he watched them approach.

Mallard-pekin duck IMG_1424©Maria de Bruyn resMallard-Pekin duck IMG_0909©Maria de Bruyn res


Canada goose IMG_4403©Maria de Bruyn res

Canada goose IMG_0988©Maria de Bruyn resClara began honking in response and veered toward Harry, who swam out to meet the family. They were obviously both quite pleased to have each other’s company again. I hope this blended bird family continues to enjoy their inter-species companionship throughout the summer!