January 11, 2019 – Wintering Waterfowl 1

Text and Photographs by Robert Koch

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Two male Hooded Mergansers (Monarch Lake)

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male and female Common Mergansers (foreground) and male Red-breasted Merganser (background) on Rancocas Creek — Male and female Common Mergansers (foreground) and male Red-breasted Merganser (background) on Rancocas Creek

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The term waterfowl refers to ducks, geese and swans and at Lumberton Leas winter is a good time to see many of these birds. Three interesting and pretty ducks belong to a group called the Mergansers. They are fish eaters and find sustenance for their diet in our rivers, streams, lakes and ponds. Hooded Merganser and Common Merganser are the ones we are most likely to see. Common Mergansers can be quite numerous and it is not unusual to encounter about one hundred of them on Monarch Lake or steaming up and down the Rancocas Creek. The Hooded Merganser is not as abundant but does show up in small groups on occasion. The third duck of the Merganser group is the Red-breasted Merganser and it is more restricted to our coastal waters and bays. However, since birds can fly they will in rare instances make an appearance in our area.

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male Common Merganser and female Hooded Merganser (Monarch Lake) — Male Common Merganser and female Hooded Merganser (Monarch Lake)

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male Common Merganser (Monarch Lake) — Male Common Merganser (Monarch Lake)

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Two Common Mergansers in flight (Rancocas Creek)

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female Common Merganser (Monarch Lake) — Female Common Merganser (Monarch Lake)

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Barton Arboretum and Nature Preserve

January 11, 2019 – Wintering Waterfowl 1