by Pat Jaquith
pat@westvalleynaturalists.org
What on Earth is that??? Read on to see if you got it! And see some more things that I put on the brakes for!
Continue Reading →I Stopped in My Tracks at These Sights!
Tag: duck
Late Spring
by Pat Jaquith
Spring is in full swing! Everywhere you look, something is bursting with color, singing exuberantly, or growing so fast you can almost hear the cells expanding! I could almost hear the bells ringing as I lay in the damp grass looking at a patch of Twin flowers! Here are some of my favorite images taken in the third month of Spring.
Continue Reading →The Shoveler Mating Game
by Skip Via
skip@westvalleynaturalists.org
Northern shovelers are common inhabitants of our local wetlands and marshes during the spring and summer, where they mate and nest. They’re gorgeous birds, the males being easily recognizable by their bright green head, yellow eyes, chestnut and white bodies, black back, and most prominently their long, broad bills. It’s these oversized bills that give them their name, and they are prominent on both males and females.
Continue Reading →The Ruddy Duck
by Skip Via
skip@westvalleynaturalists.org
In every class, there is a class clown. If you put all ducks into a classroom, that role would probably be filled by the ruddy duck. I don’t know of any duck that is more amusing to watch.
Continue Reading →To Dabble or to Dive?
by Skip Via
skip@westvalleynaturalists.org
West Valley is home for a huge variety of migratory and resident ducks and other waterfowl. While some waterfowl are waders (e.g., sandhill cranes, great blue herons, dowitchers) or skimmers (none around here, although some gulls do this occasionally), ducks can be broadly separated into two groups based on how they obtain food: dabblers and divers.
Continue Reading →