Well, I didn’t see the Harlequin Ducks or the Snowy Owl when I visited Lakefront Promenade in February. There is always something for me to admire, though, even on a blustery winter day. My favourite find was this Red-Breasted Merganser that flew in and landed a dozen metres from me, intent on diving for its dinner.
When it popped up after a dive, it sent water flying everywhere.
Do Red-breasted Mergansers Dive for Fish or Mollusks?
According to the AllAboutBirds website, they eat mostly small fish but do also eat other things. I suspect my duck was after fish, given the location of its dives.
It was a treat to watch this duck diving repeatedly at the edge of an ice floe near the marina docks at Lakefront Promenade.
First it would scout by dipping its eyes into the water and looking around.
Eventually, it would straighten up then arch down and dive deep and fast.
I couldn’t see clearly whether it was going underneath the ice or just in front of it. Seconds later, it would pop back up. It was interesting to watch the water bead and run off the duck: hopefully its waterproofing also helped keep it a bit warmer.
And in a minute, it would dive again.
So while I didn’t get to see the Harlequins or Snowy, I was quite satisfied with my winter walk. And there’s always another chance the next walk of encountering the unexpected.
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