I stopped by the Fox River this morning near the dam in Waukesha to see if anything was going on. There was a male Hooded Merganser present hanging out with Mallards. Could this be the famous “Hollyhood” that was seen last winter? Some believe it is that. I can’t say, but it acted like it could be, on shore once for awhile watching the mallards eat some bird seed that someone had tossed out. It was a gloomy day with a light mist every so often, I hung around and took some pics of this guy as he had not been seen for 4 days and this was my first sighting of him since last winter. Dan W was down at the river and said the merganser had just come in before I got there. Just before I left, the merganser took to the air and flew out of sight to the north. A beautiful duck I will say! Temps were around 35, low winds but a dark gloomy day as said. Images were taken on November 24, 2018.
Hooded Merganser, male
On the shore just being one of the mallards…
The beauty of the back view…
Sitting on the shoreline thinking about the next move…
Start of a stretch that did not happen…
Wow!!! Gorgeous species and great shots Jim!
Isn’t he a beauty…and doesn’t he know it!
Just love seeing the posts of him…hope he stays around for all to see!!
Beautiful bird ! Thanks Jim !!
Awesome pics, Jim. Thanks. Looks like it should be springtime….I’m ready.
I thought Hollyhood was in my backyard. For this and all your wonderful photos THANKS.
Thanks for the beautiful, interesting photos
Beautiful! Thanks for sharing
Beautiful bird, beautiful photos. Thanks for sharing, Jim.
These are fantastic Jim!
I have been keeping up with Dan Wutkowski’s Hollywood Photos. Sure is a beautiful bird. You were lucky to see him that day. He had been gone for four days.
He is absolutely gorgeous!
I consider this to be one of the most beautiful species of ducks that are in our state, and your amazing closeups show every detail of that beauty, Jim.
What a handsome fellow! Great series of photos.