Bufflehead

Bufflehead courtship displays are incredibly adorable & being able to observe them relatively close up was a real pleasure. The bay they were inhabiting had a very steep drop-off that was close to shore & thus the diving ducks were able to move closer to me than usually possible. There were 4 separate males, all trying to court a single female. They would take turns running atop the water’s surface to take flight for a short distance & abruptly land in front of the female. They would raise their crests high & bob their heads frantically, each trying his best to impress her. Occasionally, some of the males would grow weary of so much competition. They would swim underwater & thrash at a rival male to try and scare them off. For the duration of my visit with the small ducks, none were truly deterred by each others attempts to dominate the territory.