I found a couple of Male Hooded Mergansers trying to win over the females. When the Mergansers are preforming their courtship display their crests are raised high and spread out.
They were strutting their stuff back and forth in front of a couple of females… they begin pairing off in late fall and early winter.
This one is trying really hard to impress the female though she isn’t even looking his way as she just keeps on swimming.
Meanwhile nearby another Hooded Merganser is seen taking a bath.
The Hooded Merganser is the smallest of the 3 native Mergansers species in the US. They can be found throughout the US and into Canada and are the only duck in the US that specializes in eating fish!
