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Ducks

By adamg - 3/7/24 - 6:05 pm
Green Line delay message: Train halted to save a baby duck

Update: Yes, it is a bit early for baby ducks. The duck was an adult female hooded merganser.

David Yamada took a screen capture of a Green Line delay message at 9:36 a.m. today: Read more.

By adamg - 2/11/24 - 1:52 pm
Dunlin at Castle Island

Mary Ellen took Dolly the dog up to Castle Island for a walk yesterday.

They spotted a plump dunlin, a flock of them and a female common eider (also purple sandpipers, which to the untrained eye look just like dunlins, only more gray than brown): Read more.

By adamg - 1/8/24 - 8:47 pm
Duck with its butt seemingly on fire

Mary Ellen headed over to Cow Island Pond - the part of the Charles off Rivermoor Road in West Roxbury - around sunset and spotted this merganser with its butt seemingly on fire in the setting sun.

Earlier:
She's just a bird and she's on FIYAH

By adamg - 11/18/23 - 12:21 pm
Hooded mergansers

The hooded mergansers are back at Jamaica Pond for their annual fall visit.

By adamg - 6/25/23 - 11:41 am
Baby wood ducks growing up fast

This time of year, the mallards are usually the main duck species at Jamaica Pond, but this June the wood ducks are giving them a run for their money - instead of the normal one mother wood duck and her brood, there are two, maybe three other families paddling around the pond.

By adamg - 2/9/23 - 12:24 pm
A couple of ring-necked ducks at Jamaica Pond

There are always mallards at Jamaica Pond, sometimes supplemented in the spring and summer by a family or two of wood ducks (and one black Muscovy duck in love with a mallard), but the pond now is home, even if temporarily, to all sorts of other ducks. Read more.

By adamg - 8/17/22 - 10:41 pm
Herons and ducks on the Charles River at Millennium Park

In the dawn mist along the Charles River at Millennium Park this morning, Mary Ellen spotted a black crowned night heron, a couple of mallards and a great blue heron.

By adamg - 6/16/22 - 11:32 am
Duck and ducklings at Jamaica Pond

The other day, a mother duck and her ducklings were at the northernmost end of Jamaica Pond, slowly paddling through the muck there, stopping from time to time for a bite to eat. Read more.

By adamg - 6/8/22 - 3:08 pm
Family of wood ducks

A family of wood ducks glided along the surface of Jamaica Pond yesterday.

By adamg - 5/12/22 - 9:24 am

Ducklings

Mary Ellen watched some ducklings trying out the Charles River in West Roxbury yesterday.

By adamg - 3/3/22 - 3:41 pm
Common eider duck at Castle Island

A bunch of common eiders, including this guy, were bobbing around on the Sugar Bowl side of Castle Island this afternoon (thanks to Boston duck Twitter for the ID).

By adamg - 2/20/22 - 2:12 pm
Pair of hooded mergansers in Sawmill Brook in West Roxbury

Mary Ellen spotted a pair of hooded mergansers in one of the unfrozen parts of Sawmill Brook at Millennium Park in West Roxbury today. Mr. Hoodie did get up on the ice for a bit: Read more.

By adamg - 11/29/21 - 9:26 pm
Red-hooded ducks at Jamaica Pond

Mary Ellen journeyed up to Jamaica Pond today, where, amongst the fresh crop of hooded mergansers, which usually show up there about now, she spotted some redhead ducks, which are not commonly seen in 02130.

Sometimes, the pond also sees ruddy ducks, which, however, do not have red heads.

By adamg - 8/9/21 - 10:46 pm
Ducks at Jamaica Pond

A pair of ducks taking a break this afternoon along the shores of Jamaica Pond, which more and more is looking like a giant pot of pea soup as the blue-but-so-far-mostly-green algae keep the pond closed to fishing, boating and dog swimming.

By adamg - 6/17/21 - 10:13 am
Mother and baby ducks going to sleep

The mama duck and her seven ducklings had settled in for a snooze late yesterday afternoon among the mud and rocks along the Perkins Street side of Jamaica Pond, just up from that outlet tunnel. As the ducklings huddled in a big fuzzball, mother burrowed into her own feathers - but with one eye still on the water.

Then a heron landed maybe 8 or 9 feet away. At first, it stood there, seeming to eye the ducklings. Read more.

By adamg - 5/28/21 - 10:26 pm
Coyote at Millennium Park

Mary Ellen spotted this coyote at Millennium Park in West Roxbury yesterday morning.

But Wile E. was not the only creature she photographically captured there, including this snapping turtle he'll probably stay away from: Read more.

By adamg - 4/23/21 - 6:21 pm
Ring-necked duck

The photographer, who doesn't know from ducks, except the ones that come up to you with the geese if they think you have bread, spotted this bird scooting along, and alone, on Jamaica Pond this afternoon. Dr. Google pronounces it a ring-necked duck.

By adamg - 3/14/21 - 3:11 pm
Eider duck at Castle Island

Mary Ellen spotted a king eider, usually seen farther north, in the water off Castle Island this morning.

By adamg - 3/5/21 - 11:21 pm
Green-winged teal

Mary Ellen spotted this green-winged teal on the Charles River in Watertown today, not far from where she spotted a male wood duck: Read more.

By adamg - 2/10/21 - 11:48 pm
Black duck on Jamaica Pond

Almost all of Jamaica Pond was covered with ice and snow today. Only a small area near where a tunnel empties into the northern end of the pond remained open. Read more.

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