Tag Archives: hooded merganser

Birding Trips in SC, Biridng Trips and Tours in SC

Hooded Mergansers in SC

By Sally Siko

Of of the most striking looking ducks we’ve got swimming around the Carolinas is the Hooded Merganser. With that huge crown of feathers at the top of their heads, these handsome birds are truly kings of the water.
I spotted this small flock yesterday while birding at Huntington Beach State Park in Murrells Inlet, SC.
My guests and I were able to get relatively close to these guys from our vantage point next to the marsh which allowed some excellent photo opportunities.
The drakes were putting on a territorial display, cruising through the water upright with chests puffed out and bills pointed up to the sky in an effort to prove who’s the biggest badass in the marsh.
You can even hear them making their weird honking grunt-quacking noises while they were trying to impress the hens!



Hooded Mergansers are a species of diving duck with a somewhat unusual diet in that they do not eat much plant material. Instead they prefer to snack on small fish, crawfish, and aquatic insects.In addition, they’ve got long serrated beaks which aid in the capture and consumption of their underwater prey.
The tidal marsh habitat where I photographed these birds serve as the perfect hunting grounds for the Mergansers.


Though many of us associate Mergansers as being a wintertime visitor to the Carolinas, they are known to breed in our eastern counties making them a year round resident of the Carolina’s.
Like Wood Ducks, they are cavity-nesters but unlike Wood Ducks, Mergansers often lay their eggs in other females’ nests. This is behavior is similar to the practice of Brown-headed Cowbirds, except that the ducks only lay eggs in nests of their own species.
Pretty neat, huh?

By the way, I’ve added 80 new birding tour dates to my schedule so if you’d like to join me out there in SC to see these beautiful ducks for yourself check the calendar below for details & booking info!

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5

Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Hooded Mergansers at Huntington Beach State Park, SC

Of of the most striking looking ducks we’ve got swimming around the Carolinas is the Hooded Merganser. With that huge crown of feathers at the top of their heads, these handsome birds are truly kings of the water.
I spotted this small flock last month while birding at Huntington Beach State Park in Murrells Inlet, SC.
It was able to get relatively close to these guys from my vantage point on the boardwalk over the marsh which was pretty neat!



Hooded Mergansers are a species species of diving duck with a somewhat unusual diet in that they do not eat much plant material. Instead they prefer to snack on small fish, crawfish, and aquatic insects.In addition, they’ve got long serrated beaks which aid in the capture and consumption of their underwater prey.
The tidal marsh habitat where I photographed these birds served as the perfect hunting grounds for the Mergansers.



Though many of us associate Mergansers as being a wintertime visitor to NC, they are known to breed in our eastern counties making them a year round resident of the Carolina’s.
Like Wood Ducks, they are cavity-nesters but unlike Wood Ducks, Mergansers often lay their eggs in other females’ nests. This is behavior is similar to the practice of Brown-headed Cowbirds, except that the ducks only lay eggs in nests of their own species.
Pretty neat, huh?

Photos by me @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on my beloved beast, the mighty mirrorless @canonusa #R5

Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Hooded Mergansers in North Carolina

A wintertime visitor to North Carolina, the Hooded Merganser is a lovely sight to see gliding across the water.
These beautiful ducks are found in many of our inland lakes, ponds, marshes and reservoirs from November to about mid-April.
I’ve seen quite a few this year in locations ranging from the Pocasin Lakes NWR to Lake Betz in Morrisville NC.
They’re so beautiful and although they are relatively common, I always take the time to stop and appreciate them whenever I’m out birding in the field.



Hooded Mergansers are a species species of diving duck with a somewhat unusual diet in that they do not eat much plant material. Instead they prefer to snack on small fish, crawfish, and aquatic insects.

Check out this great Hooded Merganser video by my friend Mark at AviBirds! For more excellent bird videos, make sure you visit and subscribe to his channel HERE


In addition, they’ve got long serrated beaks which aid in the capture and consumption of their underwater prey.



I love the way we can easily pick out Hooded Mergansers in a mixed flock. The drake has a striking black head with a bright white crest, white breast, black back, and warm chestnut plumage on it’s side. The hens and immature birds are grayish brown color except for a beautiful reddish-brown crest.
These are indeed are elegant birds and are a always a treat to encounter when the weather turns cold.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the fabulous full frame @canonusa
#5Ds

Field Notes, Out There with the Expert, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Lake Betz birding- Hooded Mergansers

One of the interesting birds I saw at Lake Betz this week was a pair of Hooded Mergansers.
I first spotted them looking for food in a small overflow pond/bog right next to the big lake.



They swam around next to one another for a bit, never more than a few feet away from each other at a time.
Then, the male Merganser started swimming in circles and began to arch himself out of the water flapping and splashing.


As it turned out, he was trying impress the female with a courtship dance.
He fanned his black and white crest and fluttered at the center of bubbly spirals on the small pond.
For her part, the female was quite interested. She kept an eye on him the entire time as they paddled in unison on the water.


After a few minutes, the pair mated briefly before resuming the search for food.

It’s not every day one gets to see courting Mergansers. Pretty cool!
Feels like spring is right around the corner along with ducklings and new beginnings.
🙂 Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc
Canon 5Ds

Field Notes, Out There with the Expert, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Hooded mergansers have returned to Umstead Park

By: Sally Siko, Admin Birdwatching N.C.

Absolutely thrilled to see Hooded Mergansers during a recent trip Umstead Park!
Such a cool looking bird 🙂
These diving ducks sport a distinctive fan-like hood on the back of their heads. An unmistakable sight when picking them out in a mixed flock.
A year round resident of North Carolina, Hooded Mergansers are found on freshwater lakes, wooded wetlands and tidal shallows throughout the Tarheel State.

Mergansers take off by running across the water’s surface while flapping its wings. In flight, they hold their bill, head, body and tail straight. I photographed these lovely ducks on the wing as they raced to the northern end of Umstead Park Lake.
They moved fast on rapid wingbeats and were gone in a blink of an eye.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatchingnc
Canon 5Ds