Tag Archives: pea island ducks

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Field Notes

Northern Shovelers at the Pea Island NWR

For sure one of the most unique looking ducks we’ve got here in N.C. during the wintertime is the Northern Shoveler.


The group and I spotted several of these handsome birds during the trip to the Pea Island NWR last month and could not have been more pleased to see them!
We even had a chance to view this pair from under 10 feet away which allowed for some excellent photo opportunities as they happily swam right in front of us on the South Pond.



Northern Shovelers are uniquely adapted for a life spent foraging for a meal underwater. They feed by drawing water into its large spoon shaped bill and then pump it out through the sides with their tongue.
Their bill is lined with a long comb-like lamellae which filters out floating food particles such as tiny crustaceans, molluscs, insects, larvae as well as seeds and pieces of leaves and stems of aquatic plants.
In addition to the food particles they’ll also dine on water beetles, small minnows, and snails when available.



As is the case with other members of the dabbling duck family, Northern Shovelers may be found foraging for meal along the shorelines of the shallow, still or slow moving waters of marshes, ponds, flooded out fields and in our coastal impoundments.
These guys will hang out in North Carolina until
mid April before departing to their northern breeding grounds so there is still time for you to get out there and see them if you can!

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the fabulous full frame @canonusa
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Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina

Gadwall Ducks at the Pea Island NWR

The Gadwall is an elegant species of duck that is often overlooked by casual birdwatchers due to their seemingly understated appearance.
When viewing one at a distance one might even describe them as dull but taking a closer look, you’ll notice that they are actually quite intricately patterned with a pleasing pallet of warm colors.


I spotted this drake swimming among the reeds during the second day of my recent visit to the Pea Island NWR while scouting locations for an upcoming tour.
Though the mid-day lighting was kinda harsh, I’m so happy to have had an opportunity to photograph one at a relatively close range.



I enjoyed watching this one foraging for a meal on the water. Like most species of dabbling duck, they’re fond of feeding on leaves and stems of submersed aquatic vegetation.
When the breeding season arrives, their protein requirements change a bit so during the spring & summer they also may be seen snacking on small crustaceans and other invertebrates.


Though most breed in the north central and western part of the United States, Gadwalls are also a year round resident of the coastal counties in North Carolina and are known to nest on Bodie Island and Pea Island during the summer.
In addition, every autumn thousands of Gadwalls arrive from all over the country to spend the cooler months here in the Tarheel State. Due to the influx of migrants in the eastern counties, they are much easier to find during the wintertime than any other time of year.
This is why you’re most likely to spot them in here in North Carolina paddling around in wide open fresh and brackish marshes, ponds and lakes from September through early April.
Get out there and enjoy them!

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

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina

A Lesser Scaup encounter at the Pea island NWR in the OBX

Here’s a lovely duck that doesn’t get enough love in my opinion, the Lesser Scaup. I spotted these beautiful creatures while birding at the Pea Island NWR last month.
Aren’t they sweet?

Male Lesser Scaups



The drakes (featured in the first few photos) have white flanks, black rumps and breasts, and lined gray backs.
They’ve got purplish-black, iridescent heads and bright yellow eyes. Their bills are light gray-blue. Males in non-breeding plumage have black heads and breasts, brown bodies, and black rumps.

Female Lesser Scaups


The hens (featured above) are brownish colored overall, also with beautiful yellow eyes, and white at the base of their bills.
It was lovely to watch them as they glided across the pond in search of a meal.

Scaups aren’t showy but gosh I enjoy seeing them each winter. There are actually two species of Scaup found in North Carolina, the Lessers & Greater. These two varieties look similar but there are a few differences to note when trying to make an accuarte ID.

Lesser:

Smaller overall size

Peak of feathers sticking up on it’s crown

Narrow-ish head with tall slender neck

Black tip on bill is noticeably smaller

Prefers to stick to freshwater bodies of water inland

Greater:

Larger size Rounded crown

Rounder head & puffy-ish cheeks

Black tip larger and more noticeable on bill

Is generally more abundant in saltwater bodies of water

The thing is, even if though I know what ID marks to look for, it’s still tough when viewing these guys at a distance. It’s easier when the two species are right up next to one another (because of the size difference) but beyond that it’s all about going over the details.

Every October, large flocks of Lesser Scaups make their way south into North Carolina. Though they may be found all across the state, their more commonly seen in our eastern coastal areas swimming on lakes, reservoirs, and fresh or brackish coastal bays and estuaries.

The diet of the Scaup is largely made up of seeds, insects, aquatic invertebrates, minnows, fish eggs and small crustaceans. During the winter, Mollusks and plant seeds become more important at other times of the year due to the scarcity of insects and fish roe.
If you’re able to sit and observe them for a few minutes, you’re likely to see them diving underwater for their meal.
Sometimes they seem to stay down there for a while which is pretty impressive.



I’m headed back to Pea Island for another birding trip soon. I can’t wait to see these sweet little ducks again and am hoping that I’ll be able to get some photos of the Scaups in better light.
By the way, the Lesser Scaups will hang out here in North Carolina until late April (western part of the state) or early May so there is plenty of time for you to go see a few for yourself too!

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

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Birding at the the Pea Island NWR- The Canvasback Duck

Here’s a duck that I was happy to see, the Canvasback.
I photographed this pair last month paddling around the North Pond at the Pea Island NWR in the OBX. It was neat to sit in the grass at the waters edge to watch them diving and squabbling for a meal amongst a mixed flock of Redheads, American Coots and American Wigeons.



A wintertime resident of North Carolina, Canvasbacks are found in our coastal counties from late October through early April.
They are usually spotted in large bodies of shallow slow moving waters such as marshes, estuaries, lakes and bays. The large ponds here at Pea Island NWR are perfect examples of their preferred habitat.

Voracious consumers of aquatic vegetation, their favorite food is wild celery. So much so that the Latin species name of the Canvasback (Aythya valisineria) is similar to that of the wild celery (Vallisneria americana).
They are also fond of eating pondweeds, water lilies, sedges, mollusks, small crustaceans, minnows and insects.



The largest species of diving Duck in North America, these birds are absolutely regal looking as the glide across the water.
One of my favorite things about the Canvasbacks drake’s appearance are their vibrant red eyes paired with that dark red head. When you make eye contact with them, it feels like they’re staring directly into your soul haha!
The females are quite lovely too with their soft palette of brown, grey and buff plumage. I thought they were quite beautiful with the sunlight reflecting off of them set against the blue water.



I’ll be returning to Pea Island in a couple of weeks for another birding trip and am hoping that I’ll have another opportunity to catch a few shots of them in flight before they depart for their breeding grounds in the spring.
Can’t wait to get back out there!

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

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Field Notes

Late winter birdwatching: The American Wigeon at Pea Island NWR

One of my favorite ducks to make an appearance in North Carolina during the winter is the American Widgeon.
With that emerald green plumage reflecting in the sunlight, they are truly striking looking birds.



American Wigeons are often found feeding with Coots and diving ducks such as the Redhead, Scaup, and Canvasback, who are adept at rooting up vegetation from deep in the water.
The opportunistic Wigeon will watch the action below the water then snatch the food away from the divers as soon as they try to surface with a bill full of greens.


Preferring large open bodies of water away from the woods, large flocks American Wigeons are a fairly common sight in the eastern Piedmont regions and coastal areas of North Carolina.
Look for them in wide open freshwater marshes, lakes, rivers, ponds, brackish bays and estuaries from September through late March/early April.
Aren’t they gorgeous?

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

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Field Notes

Redhead or Canvasback Duck?

The best part about wintertime in North Carolina is the arrival of interesting waterfowl to our state.
Two such gems are these handsome Redhead and Canvasback ducks.
They are incredibly beautiful creatures and I’m always excited to see them whenever I travel to the Pungo Unit or to the Pea Island NWR.

Though at first glance the two species may look similar to one another, there are ways that you can tell them apart, even at a great distance.



The Redhead drake featured in the first 2 photos has a blueish bill with a black tip, an orangey yellowish eye, and more rounded “traditional duck” head profile.
The most distinctive ID point when viewed from far away is their gray back.


The Canvasback drake featured in the photos below have a black bill, ruby colored red eyes, and a unique triangular head profile.
You can ID them easily from way across the water by their bright white backs.



From November through late March/early April, Redheads and Canvasbacks can be spotted paddling around in the shallow bays and marshes foraging for a an underwater snack of stems, seeds, and roots of aquatic plants: shoalgrass, pondweeds, and sedges at many of our coastal wildlife refuges.
There is plenty of time left for you to go see them this winter so get out there if you can!

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

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Field Notes

Wintertime birding at Pea Island: Northern Pintail Duck

Check out these Northern Pintails! Aren’t they cool looking?




Pintails are unique looking birds and IMO are quite beautiful.
The drakes are easy to identify when swimming amongst large mixed flocks with their chestnut colored heads and namesake pointy tails.

The Northern Pintail boasts the widest range of any other duck seen in the United States. They are found on every continent except Antarctica, and are known to winter and breed on all continents except for Australia and Antarctica.


During the wintertime, large flocks of Pintail can be seen at many of our coastal refuge regions here in North Carolina, such as
Bodie and Pea islands in the Outer Banks,
Lake Mattamuskeet, Pungo Lake, the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, and parts of Pamlico Sound.



A surface feeding duck, they dine on aquatic plants, seeds, grass, small aquatic animals, and insects. Their long elegant necks enable them to reach deeper than other dabbling ducks for seeds, roots and tubers of underwater plants. During the wintertime, they’re also commonly spotted in eastern North Carolina feeding on the leftover grains found open farm fields situated near water.

They will stick around here until late April and will return next September once more to spend the winter in the Tarheel State.
Aren’t they lovely?

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

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Field Notes

Wintertime birding Pea Island: The redhead Duck

This sharp looking bird is called a Redhead Duck. As their namesake implies, they are quite easily identified among large mixed flocks of waterfowl sporting that crimson plumage.
I spotted quite a few of them here at the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge swimming in the north pond near the visitors center.



Unlike many other species of diving ducks redheads more often spotted displaying dabbling duck behavior by dipping their head underwater or tipping up to feed on plants and small invertebrates.

During the winter, they can be found in slow moving or still bodies of freshwater,
foraging on plant seeds along the shoreline such as
tubers, grass, pondweeds, wild celery, bulrushes,
water lilies, and even wild rice under the water.



Their breeding range extends from central Alaska through southern Canada to the northern regions of the United States from Washington to Maine.
Many breed in the Prairie Pothole region of the northern Great Plains of North America.

In September, these ducks migrate to winter in the warmer climates found in central Mexico, along the coast of California to the Gulf and of course the Atlantic Coast including right here in eastern North Carolina.



You can find them in most of our southeastern coastal wildlife refuges through mid April. These handsome guys are well worth the effort to find them!

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

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Wintertime birding: the American Wigeon

Here is a duck that I was pleased to see, the American Wigeon!
A dabbler and upland grazer feeding primarily on aquatic plants, seeds, waste grains, and small invertebrates, they prefer to roost and feed in shallow lakes, ponds and marshy areas which are surrounded by dry grassy fields.

The American Wigeons breeding range extends from the state of Alaska south through Canada’s Prairie Provinces and down through the U.S. Prairie Pothole Region.
Each autumn they fly south to spend the winter in Mexico and the Caribbean Islands as well as locations along the Pacific, Gulf and Atlantic coasts here in the United States.

A large population of these gorgeous birds spends the cooler months right here in eastern North Carolina.
Pea island, the Alligator National Wildlife refuge and Pungo lake are great places to find them throughout the winter.
They will be here until early April so there is plenty of time for you to get out there and see them for yourself.

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