Monday, March 01, 2010

Love is in the air

This morning on my way to the bus stop I noticed two mated pairs of tufted ducks in our neighborhood pond. I'm really excited to see them, because last year they came to the pond to have their chicks and then left as soon as their offspring became independent. I expect they've returned for the same reason this year. I'll be following them closely over the next few weeks to see if I can spot any signs of their nesting. More soon.

Tufted ducks (or, Aythya fuligula, their unpronouncable Latin name) are such pretty birds, with their little golden eyes and jaunty, feathery tufts. And so fun to watch as they dive! The chicks are possibly the cutest in the world--little round black fluff balls with boundless energy. It was amazing last year to watch them learn to dive by trial and error.

Have a look at this video I found on YouTube that shows the diving action:

No comments: