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Goldeneye Female, CP Reservoir 12/21
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Bufflehead, CP 12/19/19
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Hooded Merganser, CP 12/29/19
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A Mallard's foot photobombed my picture of a Northern Shoveler sliding into the Reservoir. 12/29/19
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Bad picture of Common Goldeneye, Cross St., City Island
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Bad picture of good birds - Canvasback in lagoon 2/19
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Red necked Grebe, winter plumage, CP Reservoir 2/17/17
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Red throated loon, Lagoon at Orchard Beach 2/17
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Common Loon, CP Reservoir 4/3/15
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Green winged Teal, Cp 12/16
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Green winged teal, CP 12/16
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Northern Pintail, male, CP Pond 1/17
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Scaup, City Island 1/17
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Northern Shoveler, CP 2016
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Bufflehead, f - CP Reservoir 1/16
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Pied billed grebe
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Snow geese on CP Reservoir 1/16
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Ruddy duck on the fly, CP Reservoir 2/17
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Ruddy CP 1/16
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Ruddy duck - CP Reservoir 1/16
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Wood ducks amuck! NYBG 1/16
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Common Loon, CP Reservoir 4/3/15
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Redhead mixed in with scaup
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Eared Grebe, City Island 1/15 (Note shorter beak and smaller body floating higher on water)
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Horned Grebe - City Island 1/15 (Note light tip at end of long pointy beak)
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Common Goldeneye, offshore between City Island and Hart Island - 1/15
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Mallard, female
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Male and female Gadwall- CP Reservoir 1/1/15
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Ring necked duck- CP 1/1/15
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Gadwall, CP 1/1/15
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Gadwall (female) - CP Reservoir
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Bufflehead CP 1/1/15
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Bufflehead, female, CP
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Shoveling Mallards? Central Park 12/14
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Northern Pintail- Central Park Reservoir 11/30/13
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Northern Pintail- Central Park Reservoir 11/30/13
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Northern Pintail- Central Park Reservoir 11/30/13
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Northern Pintail- Central Park Reservoir 11/30/13
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Northern Pintail- Central Park Reservoir 11/30/13
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Northern Pintail- Central Park Reservoir 11/30/13
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Northern Pintail- Central Park Reservoir 11/30/13
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Ring-Necked Duck and Mallard- Central Park Reservoir 11/30/13
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Ring-Necked Duck- Central Park Reservoir 11/30/13
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Ring-Necked Duck- Central Park Reservoir 11/30/13
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Ring-Necked Duck- Central Park Reservoir 11/30/13
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Ring-Necked Duck- Central Park Reservoir 11/30/13
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Common Merganser- Central Park Reservoir 11/30/13
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Common Merganser- Central Park Reservoir 11/30/13
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Common Merganser- Central Park Reservoir 11/30/13
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Common Merganser- Central Park Reservoir 11/30/13

Nesting Wood Ducks
The New York Botanical Garden is home to many nesting Wood Ducks. They usually nest in hollow tree logs that have fallen during a storm. During the 2013 nesting season we were treated to an unusual sight at  NYBG. A pair of Wood Ducks nested in tree right above the Bronx River. Unfortunately, no one was around when the babies fledged but we were lucky to get photos of mom tending the nest. 

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The best time to see ducks, in the New York City area, is winter.  The best viewing sites are; The New York Botanical Garden, Central Park Reservoir, Pelham Bay Park, Rye Marshlands, Rye Playland,New Rochelle,  The East River at 23rd Street, The Hudson River at the Boat Basin and local streams and rivers that are not frozen. Like the colorful warblers of spring, winter ducks are brightly feathered and bring color to the blue water and gray winter days. 
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A rather sad looking Wood Duck, in "eclipse" which basically means losing his primary flying feathers. This may be where the expression "Sitting Duck" came from, because for almost two months ducks in eclipse cannot fly.
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Red breasted Merganser, female- East River at 23rd Street
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Red-breasted Merganser-East River at 23rd Street
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Red breasted Merganser, female - East River at 23rd Street
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Northern Shoveler- Central Park
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Northern Shoveler- Central Park
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Brant- East River and 23rd Street
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Wood Ducks, pair - New York Botanical Garden




Ducks and water fowl are found on rivers, lakes, streams, bays, oceans, seas, and basically any body of water. A pair of Mallards can swim in a large puddle, while a Red breasted Merganser needs an ocean of waves to hunt for food.  In the New York City area the best time to observe ducks are during the months of October-April. Resident ducks: Wood and Mallard can be observed all year. 
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Northern Shoveler
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Wood Duck, Female with ducklings- New York Botanical Garden
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Hooded Merganser, male - Central Park
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Hooded Merganser, female - Central Park
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Hooded Mergansers, male- Central Park
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Hooded Mergansers, pair- New York Botanical Garden
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Hooded Merganser CP 1/1/15
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Hooded Merganser - NYBG
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Buffle Head- Central Park
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Buffle Head diving - Central Park
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Green winged Teal - NYBG
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Green winged Teal - NYBG
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Domestic Farm Duck - New York Botanical Garden
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Mallard - New York Botanical Garden
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Ruddy - Central Park
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Wood Duck in flight - New York Botanical Garden
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Scaup - City island
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Scaup raft - City Island
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Scaup lining up - City Island
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Lesser Scaup, female - New Rochelle
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Wood Duck - Central Park
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Wood Duck, female- NYBG
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Brant - East River and 23rd Street (Brant are not ducks, but part of the Geese family)
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Coot, Reservoir
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Pied billed Grebes, Central Park, 3/18/12
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Hooded Merganser, Female- Central Park Reservoir
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Ruddy, Central Park
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Gadwalls- The Reservoir
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Gadwall- The Reservoir
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Black Duck- FDR & 23rd Street
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Ring necked duck - NYBG
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