Inglewood Bird Sanctuary June 20, 2021

This past week I learned two very important lessons.  The first lesson upon when learning I became a tad disappointed.  Ducks molt in the autumn loosing all their beautifully coloured feathers and then they begin to all look alike.  It becomes difficult to make an identification which I find challenging at times even in their full colourful array.  That makes me appreciate this season of their life!  The second lesson I learned was that in the previous photos I posted where I called the ducks "young", that is not the case.  Ducklings are ducklings and goslings are goslings but if they are displaying full on defined colourful feathers then they are not "young", they are adults.  Ducks become fully grown then begin to change colour.   

I often check the hotspot page for recent sightings at the Bird Sanctuary.  I quite often don't see what others see, yet I do look to see if I can see what they see.  Recent postings show the population is becoming even more varied.  I went this morning with hopes of spotting somebody new, new to me.  

I had success!  When I saw this duck, I knew I was seeing a duck I never saw before, but I did not know what kind of duck it was.  I checked my bird book when I got home and it tells me this is a Male Harlequin Duck.     

Cedar Waxwing

Yellow Warbler

Northern Flicker

Black-Capped Chickadee

Female Red-Winged Blackbird

I watched this Mallard and her duckling for quite some time and it was the sweetest thing.  The Mom flew up onto the log.  Her baby cannot fly yet and it struggled to get up on the log.  A few times it slipped back into the water but eventually it had success.  Once the baby was on the log, they both began to primp.

a duckling snacking on poplar fluff

This was another sweet sight which I came upon.  I would love to have witnessed the Mom Common Merganser show her little ones who cannot fly yet how to get up onto the log.  They must have already performed their primping routine and are now lazing away the time.  

Over the last couple of visits to the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, I captured not so clear photos of birds so I was not able to make an identification. This time I captured clear photos but still cannot give them a name.  It does get to the point where I become too confused and just let them be birds.  UPDATE:  With some friendly help I can now tell you these are a Female Brown-Headed Cowbird and a House Wren.