Sunday, March 22, 2015

Buffleheads at Pine Hill...

Rick and I didn't have a lot of time to walk this evening, so we headed over to the small trail around the lake at Pine Hills Park (in Mason, OH). I'm glad we went, because a cute little Bufflehead couple  was tooling around the lake looking adorable...

A male and female Bufflehead were swimming and diving at Pine Hills lake.
(The female has the white cheek patch; the male has more white and is very dapper!) 
The two ducks did a lot of diving and the bright white on the male made it easy to spot him when he bobbed back up to the surface. Buffleheads dive for invertebrates and some seeds as well. They swallow their food whole while under the water.

This Bufflehead couple won't be around our area for long. They start heading north in late spring to reach their breeding grounds in Canada and Alaska. Like Wood Ducks, Buffleheads nest in tree cavities and search out abandoned woodpecker holes.

...such a handsome couple! I'm so glad we caught sight of them today.