Buffleheads: Late March Spring Migration through Northern Illinois

A Bufflhead in its winter grounds, Phoenix, IL;  12/26/09.

Bufflheads are fun to watch, but for me, extremely hard to photograph. I have taken many pictures of Buffleheads over the past year, but have never been happy with any of them. Because the snow white back of its head contrasts drastically to its dark reddish - green face, crown and neck, my camera has a hard time determining the correct exposure.  If I try to compensate for the bright white patch at the back of the head, I lose the beautiful irridescent colors on the rest of the head. If I try to expose for the colors, then the white patch and body looks like a fireball and is way over exposed (Above). Also they are a frenetic diving bird, disappearing under the water and reappearing on the opposite side of the lake very quickly.

A pair of Buffleheads at Regents Park, London, England, UK; 4/10/10.

The first time I saw a Bufflehead was a couple of years ago during winter while I was visiting Arizona (Top) and was fascinated with them. Then I saw a few a year ago while spending a week in London (Above). But this Spring starting in mid to late March, they have been migrating through Northern Illinois in small to large flocks (known as a "brace", "flush", "paddling", "raft", and "team"). They have been present in Rock Cut State Park (Three bottom pics) for almost month. Plus I have seen them at Nygren Wetlands Preserve (Rockton), at North Pond (Chicago's Lincoln Park), and on the Mississippi River on the Illinois / Iowa border. Just last week I saw a brace of Buffleheads at Horicon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge in Wisconsin (Below). Their white body contrasts with their dark head, which depending on how the light hits it, they look black, or the forehead looks green, while the neck has a reddish irridescence to it. Then sometimes the red and green tints appear just the opposite.

A Pair of Buffleheads at Horicon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge, WI; 4/24/2011.

Two male Buffleheads while fighting over the rights to a female, show off
their black and white markings, Rock Cut State Park, Rockford, IL; 3/26/11.

Buffleheads spend their summers exclusively in Canada and Alaska, while in winter they can be found throughout the Southern half of the U.S. and will spread north to the southern edges of the Great Lakes (Save Superior) and along both the Atlantic Seaboard and Pacific Coast and south into Mexico and Central America.

A Bufflhead sticking its landing for a perfect"10" in Pierce lake,
Rock Cut State Park; 3/27/11.

A Bufflhead on takeoff in Pierce lake, Rock Cut State Park; 3/27/11.

Chloe Wigeon and American Wigeon

A pair of Chloe Wigeons, Regents Park, London, UK; 4/10/10.

Another water bird we saw at Regents Park in London was the Chloe Wigeon (Above). It is one of three species of wigeons, which are considered dabbling ducks, not diving ducks (such as the Tufted Duck in my 12/19 post.) Unlike other Wigeons, the genders are similar (though the male is often slightly brighter) and pairs are monogamous. This bird has a metallic greenish or blueish [depending how the light hits it (below)] head, and a gray bill with a black tip. Its breast is barred black and white and its sides are orangish brown. It has white cheeks and a white forehead and also white on its wings.
This duck is found in South America, on freshwater lakes, marshes, lagoons and slow flowing rivers. It breeds on the Falkland Islands, Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile. It migrates to southeastern Brazil for the winters. I am assuming that this pair we saw in Regents Park are either escapees from a private zoo or are permanent residents that the Park owns and cares for.

The same pair of Chloe Wigeons, but as the light hits it from a slightly different angle, the feathers on its head appears blueish; Regents Park, London, UK; 4/10/10.



A male American Wigeon in flight, Phoenix, AZ; 12/29/09.

The Chloe Wigeons from South America are very similar to the American Wigeons (Male, Above), which are common throughout Canada and the upper north west of the U.S. in summers and migrates down to the southern half of the U.S. and into Mexico during the winters.  I saw my fist American Wigeons a year ago while staying in Phoenix, AZ. There was quite a large flock (Below) of these birds hanging around a local park.

A flock of American Wigeons take to the safety of a lake in a Phoenix park, AZ; 12/25/09.

Female American Wigeon, Phoenix, AZ; 12/29/10.

European and American Robins

American Robin, Bauman Park, Rockford, IL; 5/16/09



Young American Robin, Rockford, IL; 6/15/07

The next few weekends I'll highlight a few birds that Val and I saw in London, England, while visiting there last Spring of 2010, with a group of high school Theatre students from Guilford High School in Rockford.

While most of my photos of Great Britain mostly dealt with Historical Places and Architecture, I did manage to get a few pics of birds - some that we find in North America and some that are unique to England and Europe. I'll start with the European version of the Robin. We of course have the ubiquitous American Robin (Above) that can be found almost anywhere from the center of major cities to the deep woods and mountains, from Alaska (summers only) to the tip of Florida (winters only).  The European Robin is much smaller and has less red on its breast, but is very pretty (below).


European Robin, Regents park, London, UK; 4/10/10.



European Robin, Regents Park, London, UK; 4/10/10