Merganser Identification

The Hooded Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser, and Common Merganser are distinct from all other duck-like birds.

Mergansers are easy to distinguish from other birds when observed in lakes and marshes. Many ducks have strong, splendid markings, but birds like the Hooded Merganser (the smallest merganser in the U.S.) can make you stop in your tracks as you observe an animal that seems to have been crafted entirely of brilliant hues and color that show nature at its most perfect.

Get to Know Your Mergansers

	Hooded Merganser \| *Lophodytes cucullatus* \| 16" - 19" Not only is the combination of black, white and cinnamon on the Hooded Merganser striking, but the fully crested head is most unusual. Side by side, the two of them swam, and I fancied that their world was such a private one, a self-sufficient unit unto themselves. Read Article »
	Red-breasted Merganser \| *Mergus serrator* \| 19 �" - 26" My husband and I took a picnic lunch with us, and I�ll confess, I could hardly swallow a mouthful, so wild was I to see as many of the lovely birds as I could in my race against the sunset clock. Sandwiches and birdwatching combined may present a choking hazard! Read Article »

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	Tomales Bay State Park Closure - One Upset Birder January 22, 2008, Point Reyes, CA Governor Schwarzenegger is planning to close our beautiful, sacred Tomales Bay State Park in Marin County along with 42 other desperately-needed and exuberantly cherished state parks throughout California. Closing all of these wonderful parks would not even take us 1% in the direction of being back in the black. And think of what will have been lost. Read Article »

	Bay Area Oil Spill A Disaster For Birds November 11, 2007, Kenwood, CA When the Cosco Busan crashed into the Bay Bridge, every birder I know immediately thought of what this disaster would mean for the birds. In addition to our beloved birds, whales will be swimming through the oil, as will seals, sea lions and other marine mammals. West Marin is one of my favorite places on earth, and to see it thus spoiled fills me with sorrow and anger. Read Article »

	Bewick's Wren - A hidden Bay Area bird worth seeking! October 7, 2007, Glen Ellen, CA Today, we'll turn our gaze on Bewick's Wren, Thryomanes bewickii, one of the larger SF Bay Area Wrens. Bewick's Wren, like most wrens, will instantly strike you as being 'all-tail'. Identification clue number one for wrens is that they tend to hold their tails up-turned, as if in proud of their lovely plumes. Read Article »

	The White-crowned Sparrow has returned! September 24, 2007, Kenwood, CA This trusty little bird disappeared when the weather heated up, early in the year, heading north to cooler Canada. Just this afternoon, my husband called me to the window excitedly. There, at the foot of the photinia hedge, a lone White-crowned Sparrow was hopping humbly through the green grass. Read Article »