Before the beginning of my birding days, I was always a big fan of ducks. While I can never decide what type of birds are my favourite, ducks will always be one of the contenders. There’s just something about their quacks and other noises, their webbed feet, the way they land on the water and how it beads on their feathers. And they are really cute, which helps. Each spring, I keenly look forward to baby mallard duck season and they will always be an old favourite. And despite the fact that mallard ducks are considered an invasive pest in New Zealand, when I lived there, I still loved them. They are, after all, what most people think of when you say ducks…but there are a lot more ducks out there than you think.

The American Wigeon is a dabbling duck commonly found in western North American lakes, wetlands and ponds and increasingly further east. They commonly breed in the far northwest and winters in the Pacific Northwest to California, Texas and east to Florida.¹  The male has a distinctive white crown and a green band across the eye.^{2, 3} Unlike many other dabbling ducks, the American Wigeon often grazes in fields as well as on water, where they often wait to steal meals off other ducks.⁴

An occasional American Wigeon can sometimes be found across the pond in Europe among Eurasian Wigeons. Likewise, the Eurasian Wigeon is occasionally found in western North America commonly within groups of their American counterparts like the one I saw at Beacon Hill Park in Victoria. While they look quite similar, the main difference I spot is the lack of a green eye band in the Eurasian species.⁵

Buffleheads are diving seaducks appearing on the Sidney, BC coat of arms where All Buffleheads Day is celebrated each year in October when the ducks arrive for their winter stay. ⁶ I better enjoy them while they last, it will be spring soon. They have a beautifully striking white patch on the back of the head and shiny green-purple plumage. Each year, they often mate with the same partner and nest in abandoned Northern Flicker holes.^{7, 8, 9}

Coming up in part 2 will be some mergansers and the titular goose…