Courtesy Mike O’Kelley comes these great photos of two pairs of buffleheads, which have returned to Arbor Lake for the winter.
Buffleheads are small diving ducks that spend much of their time foraging underwater.
“The males are black and white, not too difficult to spot while on the surface, though they tend to keep their distance from humans,” O’Kelley said. “The females are somewhat smaller, grayish with a white patch behind the eye. Marie and I see them every winter.”
According to AllAboutBirds.org, Buffleheads are:
“A buoyant, large-headed duck that abruptly vanishes and resurfaces as it feeds, the tiny Bufflehead spends winters bobbing in bays, estuaries, reservoirs, and lakes. Males are striking black-and white from a distance. A closer look at the head shows glossy green and purple setting off the striking white patch. Females are a subdued gray-brown with a neat white patch on the cheek. Bufflehead nest in old woodpecker holes, particularly those made by Northern Flickers, in the forests of northern North America.”
In the spring, they will fly off to Canada or Alaska.
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