Common Goldeneyes, in my experience, rarely let you get very close. They are relatively common here in winter and I also see them while doing Breeding Bird Surveys in June in Northern Ontario.
Common Goldeneye (male)Common Goldeneye (male)
Females, apart from the golden eye, look nothing like males:
Common Goldeneye (female)Common Goldeneye (female)
They winter on open lakes, rivers and bays in small flocks.
Common Goldeneye (male) and Long-tailed Duck (male)Long-tailed Ducks (female) and Common Goldeneye (female)Common Goldeneye (female)
Common Goldeneyes eat mainly aquatic invertebrates, fish, and fish eggs, with vegetation such as seeds and tubers making up less than a quarter of the diet.
Common Goldeneye (female)Common Goldeneye (female)Bufflehead and Common Goldeneye (male)Bufflehead and Common Goldeneye (male)Long-tailed Duck (male) and Common Goldeneye (male)Common Goldeneye (female)
Other birds:
Long-tailed Ducks (female)American Black Duck (male)American Black Duck (male)American Black Duck (male)Downy Woodpecker (female)American Tree SparrowAmerican Tree SparrowAmerican Tree SparrowAmerican Tree Sparrowmostly Hooded MergansersAmerican WigeonRed-breasted MergansersRed-breasted Mergansers
Park scenes:
Cormorant or Night-heron nest
NATURE THOUGHT
We’d never know how high we are, till we are called to rise; and then, if we are true to plan, our statures touch the sky. – Emily Dickinson (1830–86)
