Ode To Goldeneyes
March 14th, 2010
Those of you who've only recently joined me may not have heard my "goldeneye spiel" yet. So here it is:
I love Common Goldeneyes. They are my sentimental favorite of all Canadian ducks. They may not be the most beautiful of all ducks (though they are beautiful), and they certainly aren't the rarest of all ducks. They are arguably the toughest of all ducks, and for that, among other things, I love them.
Goldeneyes are diving ducks. This class of waterfowl is less familiar to most people, because they tend to be very wild and swim far from shore. Unlike "dabbling ducks" who feed by picking at the surface of the water, tipping up, or even foraging on land, diving ducks forage by submerging entirely underwater. Bird-watching with them can be an exercise in patience. If they're busily feeding, you get to watch only for seconds at a time before they go *bloop* and disappear.
Diving ducks are truly aquatic birds. Most of them never go onto land except to nest. Their adaptations for diving have rendered them ungainly in flight. They have to flap fast to stay in the air, and while a dabbler, such as a mallard, can spring right up out of the water, a diver has to patter furiously along the surface for some meters before it can lift off.
Why do I love Common Goldeneyes? Well, because they're gorgeous, for starters. Brilliant white, heads glossed with iridescent green, bright yellow eyes. None of the photos I've posted do justice to them (this is the closest I've come); these guys just don't come close enough to shore for a quality close-up, unless you've got a way longer lens than I've got. The only way to really appreciate them is with a good set of binoculars.
And because as an Ottawan I have a certain sense of...well, ownership. Common Goldeneyes are "ours" for five months out of the year. They spend the winter with us, in large numbers. The humble little Rideau River is one of their favorite wintering grounds. In fact one of the photos on their Wikipedia page was even taken on the Rideau.
And because their courtship rituals are the nuttiest thing I've ever seen. A male swims along, and all of a sudden he pops his head 180 degrees back, as far as it will go. It happens so fast you'd think he was spring-loaded.
And because they kick ass. Very few waterfowl winter inland as far north as the goldeneyes do--and most of those who do depend on humans to feed them. Goldeneyes shun humans, catch all their own food and not only survive Canadian winter, but thrive in it. Even in 30 below when the Mallards and Blacks are all huddled up on shore, hiding their faces and trying to stay warm, the goldeneyes are out there, splashing and diving and not looking at all perturbed. They can be seen, too, in the pounding rapids of the Ottawa River, braving the waves and the current.
Now it's coming time for them to head back to their breeding grounds in the north. Those wintering here will leave; others, wintering further south, will move through. Goldeneyes, like most ducks, pair off on their wintering grounds, with the pairs travelling together in spring migration.
Many males have already attracted a mate.
Others are still trying...
1680x1050 wallpaper
At least one Barrow's Goldeneye (Common Goldeneye's rare-in-the-east close cousin) is still present on the Rideau--and this time, he actually came close enough to shore for me to get some half-decent photos! I even managed to capture his indigo gloss in the second pic.
That's a female Common with him. They often seem to find these exotic males fascinating.
March 14th, 2010
Those of you who've only recently joined me may not have heard my "goldeneye spiel" yet. So here it is:
I love Common Goldeneyes. They are my sentimental favorite of all Canadian ducks. They may not be the most beautiful of all ducks (though they are beautiful), and they certainly aren't the rarest of all ducks. They are arguably the toughest of all ducks, and for that, among other things, I love them.
Goldeneyes are diving ducks. This class of waterfowl is less familiar to most people, because they tend to be very wild and swim far from shore. Unlike "dabbling ducks" who feed by picking at the surface of the water, tipping up, or even foraging on land, diving ducks forage by submerging entirely underwater. Bird-watching with them can be an exercise in patience. If they're busily feeding, you get to watch only for seconds at a time before they go *bloop* and disappear.
Diving ducks are truly aquatic birds. Most of them never go onto land except to nest. Their adaptations for diving have rendered them ungainly in flight. They have to flap fast to stay in the air, and while a dabbler, such as a mallard, can spring right up out of the water, a diver has to patter furiously along the surface for some meters before it can lift off.
Why do I love Common Goldeneyes? Well, because they're gorgeous, for starters. Brilliant white, heads glossed with iridescent green, bright yellow eyes. None of the photos I've posted do justice to them (this is the closest I've come); these guys just don't come close enough to shore for a quality close-up, unless you've got a way longer lens than I've got. The only way to really appreciate them is with a good set of binoculars.
And because as an Ottawan I have a certain sense of...well, ownership. Common Goldeneyes are "ours" for five months out of the year. They spend the winter with us, in large numbers. The humble little Rideau River is one of their favorite wintering grounds. In fact one of the photos on their Wikipedia page was even taken on the Rideau.
And because their courtship rituals are the nuttiest thing I've ever seen. A male swims along, and all of a sudden he pops his head 180 degrees back, as far as it will go. It happens so fast you'd think he was spring-loaded.
And because they kick ass. Very few waterfowl winter inland as far north as the goldeneyes do--and most of those who do depend on humans to feed them. Goldeneyes shun humans, catch all their own food and not only survive Canadian winter, but thrive in it. Even in 30 below when the Mallards and Blacks are all huddled up on shore, hiding their faces and trying to stay warm, the goldeneyes are out there, splashing and diving and not looking at all perturbed. They can be seen, too, in the pounding rapids of the Ottawa River, braving the waves and the current.
Now it's coming time for them to head back to their breeding grounds in the north. Those wintering here will leave; others, wintering further south, will move through. Goldeneyes, like most ducks, pair off on their wintering grounds, with the pairs travelling together in spring migration.
Many males have already attracted a mate.
Others are still trying...
1680x1050 wallpaper
At least one Barrow's Goldeneye (Common Goldeneye's rare-in-the-east close cousin) is still present on the Rideau--and this time, he actually came close enough to shore for me to get some half-decent photos! I even managed to capture his indigo gloss in the second pic.
That's a female Common with him. They often seem to find these exotic males fascinating.
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