South Dakota: Prairie Potholes

Okay folks, I’ve been holding on to these images since Spring Migration, but never seemed to get this post written. Thus, on one of the bigger migration days (and nights … see BirdCast) of the fall migration I am finally publishing this content to 365DaysOfBirds. I actually like fall migration better than spring because birds are willing to stick around for a while if they mind good food sources, but in the spring our feathered friends are in a rush to get back up to breeding grounds.

In both of these instances I encountered ducks that were extremely interested in mating, Hooded Merganser and Ruddy Ducks. In the case of the Hoodies, the males crests were amazing, and if you watch the video … so were the hormones. The Ruddy Duck had its signature blue bill, which seems somewhat unique in the birding world.

Hooded Mergansers in Love (right in the town of Two Harbors)