Boyz In Da Hood

You won't find these Hooded Mergansers in the 'hoods of Phoenix. They prefer the swanky and grandiose ponds around Fountain Hills for their wintering, where they rub shoulders with other aristocratic waterfowl like Northern Pintails and Buffleheads while cavorting near the world's tallest fountain. In fact, this is about the only place to consistently find these saw-billed ducks in Phoenix, though I've also seen them at the Papago Ponds (1 female) and at the Box Bar recreation sight.

When I made it out to Fountain Hills the Merganser numbers were still pretty low. I only counted three individuals--all male--but their numbers may well exceed a couple dozen by December, and they can even be seen indulging in mating displays and other vanity festivals. Gordon Karre has some exceptional photos of the Fountain Hills Merganser here.

They stayed a little bit distant for me, but it was still neat to watch them cruise around with their unique and jaw-dropping headgear. This Ruddy Duck seemed to think that, since he also had white on his face, he could be a part of the gang.

Eww!! Ruddy Ducks do not get to hang out with super suave Hooded Mergansers.


 Wood Ducks may be the most colorful indigenous waterfowl in North America, but it's a challenge to find any waterfowl more eye-catching than a Hoody gettin' on his hood. It will not surprise me at all if the recent Mars rover discovery turns out to be Hooded Mergansers hanging out on Mars. The headpiece strikes me as very martian.

Female Buffle all in a Ruffle

Buffleheads are perhaps the most uncommon wintering duck in the Phoenix area that is still widely expected throughout Maricopa Country, meaning they're not rare, but they're readily visible either. They're small birds themselves of course, and they're numbers are small compared to all of the other larger ducks species. They tend to prefer larger, deeper bodies of water, which makes them more unusual to spot and photograph without a scope. Like lots of other diving duck species, they're also more skittish, and make photo-documentation tricky.

While looking for Mergansers out at Fountain Hills Lake, I could see the white and iridescent fontanel of a male Bufflehead out in the center of the water. He had a female friend with him, and while he always stayed situated pretty centrally in the big body of water and out of range, she'd periodically fly around in a state of considerable distress, as if she's just woken up and realized she was in the middle of a desert or something. Anyway, this is a photo-first for Butler's Birds.