The male common eider (Somateria mollissima) presents a somewhat strange appearance, not likely to be confused with that of any other species.
Tag Archives: Birdwatching
King Eider
The male king eider (Somateria spectabilis) is a bird that is guaranteed to make an impression. Whether he is gaudy or beautiful depends on your perspective.
50 Garden Journal Prompts
What to write in your garden journal? Here are 50 ideas to jog your creativity, including something for every season.
Lesser Scaup
At a glance, the lesser scaup (Aythya affinis) resembles a miniature greater scaup. However, it does display some unique characteristics.
Greater Scaup
When seeing the greater scaup (Aythya marila), the overall impression is that of a big, thickset duck.
Tufted Duck
The tufted duck (Aythya fuligula) may at first glance appear to be a ring-necked duck. However, this species has several differentiating characteristics worth noticing.
Ring-Necked Duck
When you first encounter the male ring-necked duck (Aythya collaris), you may be surprised to find that he has no obvious ring on his neck.
Redhead
The redhead duck (Aythya americana) may at first glance resemble the larger canvasback. However, its appearance is actually quite distinctive.
Canvasback
Once you are familiar with the distinctive characteristics of the male canvasback (Aythya valisineria), you should have no problem identifying it even at a great distance.
Bird Songs
One disadvantage of reading about bird songs is relying on a printed mnemonic. What better solution than a book with an audio player?
Homestead on the Range 