Sunday, March 15, 2015

Long Tailed Duck


There's a possibility that Spring is taking hold here in Tennessee. It is beautiful and nearly 70 degrees today and I welcome the sunshine after a week of rain. One of the things I do several times weekly is check the ABA website for Tennessee to see if there are any peculiar waterfowl sightings nearby. There was a note regarding a Long Tailed Duck seen yesterday at Shute Branch Recreation Area. After a drive over to a frequent birding hot spot, Snow Bunting Peninsula, off Old Hickory Lake, I drove farther east to Shute Branch hoping to catch a glimpse of this Life Bird for me.


Sure enough there it was albeit a female or perhaps an immature female or male. Sometimes no amount of research online will allow you to put a finger on exactly what gender a bird is. I do know the breeding male Long Tailed Ducks have the beautiful markings and long long tail feathers and that is certainly not what I photographed today. But if this is a male, in time he will be a beauty.


Oddly, this duck was swimming and diving for food right off the shore next to the smaller boat launch at Shute Branch. And even when I got closer to the shore, the duck didn't seem to mind at all and continued with the task at hand. I would love to see a male breeding Long Tailed Duck as they look so beautiful when I see photos online.


These ducks winter along eastern and western North America and the Great Lakes and southern Europe and Russia. Clearly, this duck was a bit inland. Long Tailed Ducks breed in Alaska, northern Canada, northern Europe and northern Russia. The male is quite vocal which leads me to believe this is a female as it never uttered a sound the entire time I photographed it. Have a great week. I took tomorrow off and plan to visit Franklin just south of Nashville. ENJOY!

Linking to Sunlit Sundays and Birdin D'Pot

5 comments :

  1. How beautiful is that?!!! I too check the ABA [for Texas tho] most days in hopes of some vagrant or rare bird sighted in my area.

    You managed to capture this 'lifer' to perfection!!

    Thanks for sharing the link this weekend.

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  2. Carol, you have captured on of my all time favourites. Congrats on another lifer.

    As you rightly say the male in full breeding plumage is a stunner but even this juvenile is a corker. With all the different winter weather patterns it is not unusual to find stray individuals seeking refuge inland.

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  3. Great sighting! Nice looking juvenile who will surely grow into a beaut.

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  4. Beautiful, just the tiniest movement in the water, reflection lovely, and I hope you get to see more of these ducks soon.

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  5. The reflections in the water are lovely, so sharp and clear!

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