Long-tailed Ducks at Lakeshore State Park in Milwaukee Wisconsin on December 15, 2017

Early this morning I found 12 Long-tailed Ducks feeding at Lakeshore State Park in Milwaukee. The last couple of days I had found groups of first 6 then 9 yesterday, now 12! They all appear to be immature or females. I have not studied them close as of yet. They typically all dive about the same time, get their food, surface, look around, regroup and dive once again. I walked the park early just after sun up and these ducks were not around. These typically stay very close together as a group. A couple of hours later they came in from farther out from the south. In the last few days it appears these ducks have a circuit  they do for food, and have numerous places they feed. I saw a group of 8-10 off  Texas Ave yesterday. Maybe they are the same ducks. This is the first year I have seen more than 1 or 2. The morning started out with some snow flurries that gave way to mostly sunny skies for the morning. It was cold, temps started at 16 and there was a good wind from the west. Images were taken on December 15, 2017.

Long-tailed Ducks, all 12

Long-tailed Duck

Binomial name: Clangula hyemalis

Category: Ducks, Geese, and Swans

Size: 16.5” long, 28” wing span

Weight: 1.6 lb

Cool Fact: This duck was once known as Oldsquaw

They all dive about the same time, here are a few in this image…

They come in fast to feed just off the shore in water 15′-20′ deep…

Before the dive…

Start of the dive…

The dive…

Up close…

The blue sky reflection with the Long-tailed Duck…

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About admin

Window to Wildlife features the photography of Jim Edlhuber. A lifelong native of Wisconsin, Jim has been photographing wildlife for 20 years. He considers himself an avid photographer and is always trying to capture nature and wildlife through his lens. He is in several photography clubs and has won numerous awards for his work. In recent years, Jim has focused mostly on birding photography and finds it to be the most challenging.

4 Responses to Long-tailed Ducks at Lakeshore State Park in Milwaukee Wisconsin on December 15, 2017

  1. Nan Wisherd says:

    Thanks for sharing, Jim! Long-tails are always a thrill to see.

  2. Pam Skaar says:

    Wow! That’s a lot of long-tails for L. Michigan.

  3. Bob Fritsch says:

    Beautiful shots Jim! 🙂

  4. Aszya Summers says:

    Thanks for sharing! I’m the newbie you chatted with tht morning – I didn’t realize it was a post on your site you shared to Birding Wisconsin earlier that led me to the park!

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