Tagged With: Water Birds

Hooded Mergansers (Lophodytes cucullatus)

Hooded Mergansers (Lophodytes cucullatus)

Hooded Mergansers (Lophodytes cucullatus)

We took a walk to Sandy Spring today after visiting Cathy’s mom. There wasn’t a lot to photograph but we did see this pair of hooded mergansers (Lophodytes cucullatus) on a pond near Sandy Spring Friends School on a path off from the main trail. They’re pretty birds and fairly easily recognized. We’ve seen quite a few of them this winter, possible more than in past years, but that may be because we’re paying more attention, especially now that I have my long telephoto lens and can get much better photos of them.

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American Black Duck (Anas rubripes)

American Black Duck (Anas rubripes)

American Black Duck (Anas rubripes)

We went to the C&O Canal today, walking from the Cabin John Aqueduct Bridge on MacArthur Boulevard down to the canal and then upstream to a point about half way between locks 8 and 9. We enjoyed being out but this is never going to be among our favorite walks, due to the traffic noise. Still, it’s good to be out. We saw a few American black ducks (Anas rubripes) on the canal, along with mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) and a few turtles, but not much else. There were bluebells coming up, which is always a treat.

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