Bye Bye Bufflehead

Bufflehead are small diving sea ducks that I usually see a couple of times during the midst of the winter. The name Bufflehead comes from the combination of the words buffalo and head. _ __ ____________________________________________________________There were several male and female Bufflehead on the Connecticut River near Deep River landing on Sunday. Usually when I see them from a distance the Male's head looks black and white. This one particular male came close enough that I was able to see that the dark portion of their head is surprisingly iridescent. I was interested to learn (from Cornell) that they nest almost exclusively in tree holes that were excavated by Northern Flickers. These ducks are a lot of fun to watch because they are very active. They do a lot of diving, grooming and displaying. Many spring migrants will soon be arriving but these might have been the last Buffleheads I'll see before next winter. Bye Bye Buffleheads - until we meet again! Until then, there should be plenty of other ducks to see like these Wood Ducks that were swimming in a flooded stream near the Chester-Hadlyme Ferry.