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common merganser

Common Mergansers, January 2011

Final set of shots from one long walk by the river. Previously I had no good photos of common mergansers (Mergus merganser), now I have a few too many.
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common merganser Male common merganser.
common merganser Diving under the ice to reach open water neaby. Mergansers lift their bodies right out fo the water when they dive.
common merganser Another male common merganser.
common merganser He's spotted me.
common merganser This is a female.
common merganser Another shot of the female common merganser.
common merganser Male common merganser in flight.
common merganser Another male.
common merganser Common merganser with ring-necked ducks.
common merganser The ring-necks are moving quickly, but the merganser looks relaxed.
common merganser Yep, definitely relaxed.
common merganser His tail feathers are still slightly ruffled from the scratching session.
common merganser More mergansers.
common merganser This male kept swimming closer to me.
common merganser Soon he was approaching the water's edge.
common merganser I waited to see if he'd come out onto the ice.
common merganser He did.
common merganser Male common merganser on the water's edge.
common merganser He settled down for a little while.
common merganser The mallards approached me hoping for food, but the merganser ignored them.
common merganser Merganser engaged in preening.
common merganser Watching some ice float by.
common merganser Time to get back into the water?
common merganser But first, some more preening.
common merganser He seems to be watching the other waterfowl.
common merganser Or maybe he's just waiting for the shore to be less crowded.
common merganser Eventually he hops in and swims off (passing a female ring-neck in this photo).
common merganser A merganser rearing up to challenge another male.
common merganser Merganser being chased (note the large wake).
common merganser Winning merganser in company of female.