Photo of the Week - February 23, 2015

Male Bufflehead about to land while being chased by another Bufflehead

Bucephala albeola

Magnuson Park
Seattle, WA
February 23, 2015

One of the pleasures of Winter in the Puget Sound region is watching Buffleheads. The small, diving ducks are a common sight on freshwater ponds and salt water. They can be seen diving acrobatically to catch aquatic invertebrates. Males are distinctively bright white, with dark patches which can glow green or purple, depending upon lighting conditions. Female Buffleheads are smaller, with dark bodies and a white cheek patch - almost an inverted color pattern from the males. 

Buffleheads are generally monogamous during mating season and may keep the same mate for several years. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology:
"Males court females by flying over them, skiing to a stop on the water with their crests raised, and bobbing their heads. During the breeding season, territorial birds attack intruders by flying or swimming underwater at them and thrashing at them with their wings. When a pair intrudes into a territory, the territorial male often chases the intruding female while the intruding male chases after them both. "


It is tremendously exciting to see small ducks thrashing about and energetically chasing one another.

Male Buffleheads chasing one another during mating season 

Bucephala albeola

Budd Inlet
Olympia, WA
March 2, 2015