Goldeneye Pair Swimming

In the winter, I always look forward to the coming of the migrants to the waters near our house. I have loved water birds since my teen years when I would hike certain industrial areas of the Toronto waterfront.

Here on the west coast, winter was also the best season. We would see scaup, old squaw (now long-tailed duck) and common goldeneyes. At our Pacific coast home we do see the former two but goldeneyes are much more common. I like the dapper, dressed-up look of the males and especially enjoy their contorting courting antics in the early spring. The females have a clean and handsome look as well. I like listening to goldeneyes as they fly, accounting for their nickname "whistler".

This picture, viewing the birds from slightly above, is the perspective I have when I look at the wintering waterbirds with binoculars from our studio window.