Birth-day at the SS

What a surprise and what a site! Mother Common Merganser just paddled past with her newly hatched little fluff balls all riding comfortably on her back. Wish that we could have gotten a shot of that. Good old Mr. Common Merganser must be hanging out at a local bar somewhere. Pierre and Corrine fooled us and have been here along. They are now the proud parents of 6 brand new chartreuse colored goslings. Pierre and Corrine, set the example of good parenting, not like that deserter Mr. C. Merganser. They are always together in a united parenting effort. Pierre, the dad paddles along in the lead, then the little ones swim along behind him, and mom, Corrine, attempts to remain in the caboose position. Her job will begin with teaching the little ones how to travel on the water in a nice straight line. Starting them off young, right out of egg may be the trick for their perfect straight line positioning that we will witness in days to come. T.H. is out trying to get a good shot of the Common Merganser family since it is the first time that Common Mergansers have chosen Lake Betty for their nursery.

Riding low in the water Mother Common Merganser is a skilled diver and speed swimmer. Rather than proudly posing with her new ducklings, she made the photo session rather difficult. Displaying her diving skills, she would rapidly swim ahead of her clutch. Then repeatedly disappearing as she dove down beneath the surface, leaving her young ones, who barely even know her, motherless. Will the little ones ever learn to keep up with her? Unbelievably they do generally learn to dive at about one week old.

FYI: (muhr GAN suhr) Merganser comes from two Latin words meaning “diving goose.” In case you did know ducks belong to the order Anseriformes and the family Anatidae. There are about 50 species native to North America. So far this year we have observed 2 of these duck species. Pair bonds form in late winter or early spring. Nests are located near water, usually in a large tree cavity, but may also be in rock crevices, under tree roots. Nests are made of wood chips, moss, twigs and other debris found in the cavity. Down is added by the female. The female lays 6–17 (most often 8–12) white to yellowish eggs, and raises one brood in a season. The female incubates the eggs for about five weeks, eating very little during this period. (Mr. C.M has already ditched her) The ducklings are taken by their mother to rivers or lakes immediately after hatching, where they feed on freshwater invertebrates and small WALLEYE fry .Females usually abandon the young before they can fly, sometimes as early as the end of the first week. They will be fledging when 60–70 days old. The young are sexually mature at two years old. Length: (tip of beak to tail): ranges to about 27 inches. Weight: ranges to about 3 pounds. Wingspan: ranges to about 3.5 feet. Life Span: Ranges to about 15 years.