Drake Common Merganser

Southwestern Ontario March 2024 On one of my earliest outings with my floating blind last year I encountered a pair of Common Mergansers. This male came quite close a couple of times allowing me to make a few images, this one being my favourite. I have found male Common Mergansers difficult to approach much of the time and was happy to have the opportunity to make this image. Common Mergansers are among the first ducks to return north once waterways thaw in the spring and among the last to leave in the fall. They are resident across the northern hemisphere - both in North America and Eurasia. Mergansers generally nest in cavities. These are often old woodpecker holes and other hollows in trees but they are also known to use nest boxes and small rock caves. They prefer cavities close to waterways though they have been known to nest up to 2 km from water. Standing dead trees are vital to cavity nesting birds like woodpeckers and ducks. Humans seem to like to remove the trees these birds nest in either because they are perceived as a safety risk or to be used for firewood or lumber. It’s vital that landowners choose to leave some dead standing timber to accommodate wildlife whenever possible.