Life on Daniel Island is just ducky this time of year!

Last December, a neighbor stopped when she saw me photographing a group of ducks on Smythe Lake.

“What kind are they?” she asked.

I hope she didn’t get more than she bargained for, because ducks are my passion. Many of us anxiously await the holidays. Reunions with family, time off from school and work, special seasonal traditions...all of these keep us looking forward with anticipation. For me there is another “gift” this time of year. Late December typically brings the last of our annual duck migration to Daniel Island.

Whether one is a serious bird watcher or just someone who bikes, runs or walks the Daniel Island trails, the opportunities to view and photograph waterfowl are incredible this time of year. The ducks I mentioned photographing earlier were scaup (or “bluebills”). They are usually among our last arrivals from up north. These birds will be present on Smythe Lake on most days, at any time of day, from around Christmas through the rest of the winter. They will also congregate in good numbers on the larger golf course ponds in Daniel Island Park. Some of these birds have flown thousands of miles from as far away as northern Canada to winter here on Daniel Island. They can be easily identified by their white bodies and dark heads (a shiny, striking black in the case of the males.)

We have quite a few mallards here on the island as well. They may be the most recognizable ducks due to the males’ shiny green heads. The females, or hens, are brown. Like our Canada geese, some of these mallards do, but many do not, migrate each year. They, along with our wood ducks (perhaps the most colorful and beautiful of North America’s ducks), can be found almost anywhere on the island. These two species belong to the group of ducks known as “puddle ducks” because they prefer to tip up in shallow water rather than to dive for their food. They are more frequently found in smaller, shallower waters than scaup and the other “diver duck” species. While the puddle ducks eat mostly plants, divers eat various organisms from the lake bottoms, including fish and several types of mollusks.

Many lakes, ponds and creeks hold hooded mergansers this time of year. The males of this species are easily identified by their black, tufted heads with a white spot at the back. They can be found from the boardwalks in the small saltwater creeks and in most island lakes and ponds.

It is easy to take all of these waterfowl for granted. As someone with a lifelong fascination with ducks, I can assure you we have special opportunities here. During a single run last year, I saw seven species of waterfowl in an hour. To be able to view Canada geese, mallards, widgeon, gadwall, wood ducks, buffleheads and mergansers simply by jogging around your neighborhood is a special thing.

There are plenty of resources for identifying these birds. “Ducks at a Distance” was published decades ago by Bob Hines for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It is more of a hunter’s guide but is superb and can still be viewed online. Cornell’s site at www.allaboutbirds.org is very good as well. However you do it, make it a point to get out and see our many duck species while they are here. Many of them only join us for a few weeks each year.