This time of year, many of the beautiful and vociferous songbirds have left Colorado for better food resources further south. In winter, birders often turn their attention to the
thousands of migrating waterfowl that settle into pockets of open water along the Front Range and Eastern Plains of Colorado. Whether you are a novice or an experienced bird watcher, observing and identifying winter waterfowl can be exciting and educational.
Depending on the species, weather, locale, and season, waterfowl’s tolerance of humans varies greatly. As observers, it is important that we know when our proximity may cause an animal to flee (referred to as an animal’s flight distance.) Ducks and geese may be especially nervous in areas where they are hunted. In city parks, where waterfowl congregate on lakes and ponds, ducks and geese seem almost oblivious to people. When observing waterfowl, be aware of the behaviors that reveal they are becoming stressed. If a bird stops what it is doing and looks directly at you—freeze—and wait for it to resume its normal behavior, such as preening or feeding. If it continues to stare at you, consider moving away slowly and quietly to a less threatening vantage point.
Ducks can be divided into two general categories, dabblers and divers. Dabblers, like the wood duck, prefer to feed by “dabbling” their bills along the water’s surface to catch floating plants and insects. They also feed by tipping upside down to reach for plants along the bottom of shallow marshes or ponds. With their feet farther back on their bodies, hooded mergansers (for example) and other divers are well equipped for diving and swimming under water to catch fish and other aquatic organisms.