My most interesting Common Goldeneye photos so far this year, thanks in part to the early courtship behavior of the species.
Yesterday afternoon after being cooped up in the house by a morning snowstorm I impulsively visited one of the local ponds I haunt in winter to see if I could turn up any interesting birds. It was about 40° and the wind was blowing so I figured it would be a quick and unsuccessful trip. Mostly I just wanted to get out of the house.
I should have dressed for the cold.
In addition to the omnipresent domestic Mallards and coots and a few Canada Geese I was pleasantly surprised to find several Common Goldeneyes on the pond and a couple of the males came in reasonably close. The biting wind made the water a little choppy but in the right conditions I think rough water can add interest to my photos.
The males were in their spiffy fresh plumage so their whites were intense, which in combination with their blacks made for a difficult exposure. I did the best I could.
I caught this adult male in a wing flap that included…
most of the possible wing positions including…
an intermediate one. In this shot I like the near peekaboo effect despite his partially closed nictitating membrane.
Did you notice anything slightly unusual about this bird? The bills of adult male Common Goldeneyes are normally solid blue/black but this guy…
appears to have some kind of pigment problem on the dorsal surface of his upper mandible.
This is a grab shot of a different male coming in for a landing. It’s a large crop and it shows but I was still pleased to get a sharp landing shot of one of these speedy ducks.
In Common Goldeneyes breeding behavior begins in December and this guy didn’t want to be left behind. There were a few females on the pond and here he’s performing the classic courtship display of the species called a “head-throw”.
When I processed this photo I thought the shape of the tip of his bill looked a little strange so I investigated by cropping in tightly on his head.
It turns out that he was sticking his tongue out which distorted my perception of his bill tip. I had no idea drake Common Goldeneyes have black tongues.
Addendum: I may be wrong – he may just have a black feather in his bill. But in the next photo his tongue still appears to be black.
This is probably my favorite photo of him performing a wing flap. I like the texture of his ruffled wing feathers and his open bill.
I didn’t stay at the pond for long, with that wind it was just too damn cold. Walking into my toasty house never felt so good.
Ron
Image techs for most of these photos were at or near 1/6400, f/6.3, ISO 640, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender
Sensational series Ron! Thanks for sharing!
Charlotte Norton
I didn’t know they started courting this early. Great shots.
These fellas have some pretty slick moves! I’m not even a female Goldeneye and I’m intrigued! 😉
Ron, fabulous job getting all the detail in those blacks and whites — definitely a high DOD morning. Plus, you did it all while freezing your tootsies.
Thanks, Marty. They’re definitely a challenging subject to expose properly.
Absolutly stunning. Happy Holidays.
Thank you, Janice. You too.
Very nice series. They are such beautiful birds, especially when you catch the iridescence in the feathers. The courting display is fun to watch.
Your temps got up to 40? It stayed 30 here and a cold north east wind blew. We only saw the sun for a few brief moments. I was going to go for a walk but the cold wind cut through my clothing. I think we are a bit colder here at the base of Emigration Canyon.
Yup, it was 40 or 41. I remember looking at my pickup thermometer just before we got to the pond. The sun was out for much of the afternoon but damn it was cold with that wind! I could see the clouds up against the mountains close to where you are.
So beautiful ❗️ I see them at our lake….through binoculars only. Seeing them up close is a treat 😁 And the things we have to do to attract a mate ❗️
We have a nice storm coming through Northern California today. YAY❗️
Enjoy your storm, Diana. Much of your state can nearly always use the moisture.
I have been seeing a golden eye on the river the last few weeks. If this is the pond I’m thinking, this could be the same drake and he’s just moving from one to the other. Maybe feeding in the river while courting in the pond.
Great shots as always! Thanks for throwing some waterfowl in the mix 🙂
Thanks, Shane. I see them on the river too. Saw some on the river just a few minutes before I photographed this guy.
All kinds of great shots and observations here.
I didn’t know Common Goldeneyes could extend their tongues like that. Part of the breeding display?
Good eye for catching the white bill. I doubt I would have caught that. Especially at 40°, windy, and insufficiently bundled up.
Head throws and wing flaps. What little show offs. Pretty smooth moves.
“I didn’t know Common Goldeneyes could extend their tongues like that”
Lyle, now I’m not sure they can. As I mentioned I may have been mistaken and that’s a feather in his bill instead of his tongue.
I noticed the white on his bill because at first I thought it was a small white and wet feather stuck to his bill.
Yet another delightful series. I would certainly be very, very impressed by his display.
I do find myself envying your temperatures though. It is early here and it is already warmer than I like. I have just opened up the house hoping for some cooling breezes.
EC, I hope your fire situation stays under control, assuming that it is under control at the moment.
For the moment it is. Mind you two states are under a flood watch. And others are hanging out for some of their ‘excess’ rain.
the light on the water is gorgeous too
Thanks, Jo.
Fun! Other than freezing your ass or fingers should I say, off! 😉 Beautiful shots of the Golden Eye…. 😀 Wondered what he had in his mouth – I was thinking a leaf – more continuing education….. The bill color IS different.
13 with a “stiff” N breeze this morning……zero windchill…..
Judy, my ass was just fine but my fingers and face were another story.
It was 14° when I got up at 4:20 (slept in a little) but about 90 minutes later we’d had a small heat wave and it came up to 18° not long before dawn. Thankfully there’s no wind this morning.
Very fun! Feels like we are watching some handsome guys showing off their very cool dance moves. 🙂
Kathleen, I think that’s darn close to what he was doing. Those lady goldeneyes were pretty cute…
Wonderful series of photographs!
This is a species which makes headlines down here when one is spotted.
I certainly appreciate the exposure challenge of light/dark plumage! Looks like you had no problems at all.
Stay warm!
Thanks, Wally. Actually I struggled with exposure with this bird – both in the field and during processing. It’s situations like this where I’m glad I shoot in RAW. If I’d been shooting in jpeg I wouldn’t have been able to get the exposure as ‘right’ as I did.
That was fun.
Good!
Very colorful and informative series Ron. I have taken a couple hundred photos of Goldeneyes, but have never seen that “Throw-Back.” Guess I just have never been there at the right time. Looking at your landing photo I was thinking that the majority of duck landing photos are probably grab shots.
“the majority of duck landing photos are probably grab shots”
You’re probably right, Everett. Like most birds ducks tend to be unpredictable.
Lovely group! That last picture is wonderful. I see these guys out on the bay near my house but I can never get near so it’s nice to see their antics up close and personal. Thanks.
Thanks, Joanne. I hope you’re close enough to your goldeneyes to hear their trademark whistling wings when they take off from the water. I love that sound.