Quack?

Well, actually none of these ducks quack.  The male Green-winged Teal whistles and the Northern Shoveler male makes a soft snuffling kind of sound.  Their females do "quack" a bit but not as distinctively, or to quote allaboutbirds.org, quintessentially as the female Mallard.  The Ruddy Ducks, on the other hand, offer up the sound of their wings beating the water as they fly away from me.  They make a popping noise too but I can't say I've heard them do it.

More From FDR Park

This park was quite something at one time.  Built at a time (the early 1900's) when triumph over nature was more important than sustaining it.  Originally the area was a tidal marsh.  Luckily there is still enough of that left to encourage the water loving animals to pay a visit.  Yesterday I saw American Coots, Gadwall, Northern Shovelers, the Rudy Duck in the second picture, in addition to the geese and pigeons.  And then of course there were these last ducks, brilliantly colored Mallards.  I'm not sure if the oddball is an immature Mallard or some kind of hybrid.  The shape of his head seemed distinctively different from the other mallards. 

Take Offs and Landings

Ruddy Duck

Pied-billed Grebe

Pied-billed Grebe  He flew like that the entire way!  Looks like his landing gear is down.

Black Duck

Hooded Merganser

Ruddy Ducks

These cute little guys are Ruddy Ducks. I'm so sad that their bills won't turn blue here on the east coast. I guess they only do that during breading season which happens out west somewhere. But they sure were adorable hanging out in New Jersey at the Edwin B. Forsythe NWR.



Keep an eye on those feet!