While driving along the Lakeshore Boulevard in Oakville Ontario today, I had to stop to admire a huge raft of ducks floating on Lake Ontario. I stopped at the easternmost parking lot of Coronation Park and got out to take a few quick photos. I was pretty sure what kind of ducks were sleeping peacefully off shore, but I waited till I was home to confirm it.
There were far too many birds to capture in a single photo. I did take a series of photos so I may have fun trying to count them at a later time. Here’s a photo of part of the raft.
Near one end, a few ducks were awake and diving repeatedly for food. The oversized bills that gleamed a dull blue were another clue. The white and grey of the males stood out from the brown of the females. I knew they must be scaup. The question was: Greater or Lesser.
My decision, based on reviewing sources later at home, is that they were Greater Scaup. I hope to share some reasons and photos in another post soon.
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Have you seen any big rafts of floating ducks? What kind were they? Please share your experiences with a comment.