Winter Ruddy Duck – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/2000, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
Two days ago I photographed a Ruddy Duck close to home at my local pond. I was only able to take 14 image of it before it dove under the water and swam away.
The age and sex of this Ruddy duck has puzzled me. At first glance it appears to be a female but after taking a closer look at the Ruddy duck I am going to label this bird an immature, first winter bird and it may possibly be a first winter male.
The very light colored flanks and belly of this Ruddy duck combined with a hint of blue at the base of the bill were why I questioned my first impression of it being a female. Immature Ruddy Ducks have a dark line across their white cheeks which the female of this species also have.
Ruddy Duck drakes don’t molt into their breeding plumage until around March which is considerably later than most of the other male ducks I photograph during the winter. I have seen a few photos of local drake Ruddy Ducks recently that show them starting to get a hint of blue at the base of their bills.
Diving Ruddy Duck – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/2000, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
The dark line across the white cheek patch of this diving Ruddy Duck appears to be more pronounced in this image than it looks in the first photo. I can still see a hint of blue at the base of the bill. The bills of female Ruddy Ducks do not turn blue during the breeding season. If I can get photos of this Ruddy Duck from a closer perspective I might be able to confirm my thoughts on its age and gender.
I could be wrong of course and I don’t mind being corrected when I am. I’d rather learn from the experience than to claim to be more of an expert than I am. That would be disingenuous and misleading.
Life is good.
Mia
View more of my Ruddy Duck photos plus information about this species here.
Ruddy duck are one of my favorite feeling ducks! I love how they feel when you are holding them. It’s hard to describe why but I know in the wildlife caring world I am not alone in my fixation.
Fascinating! I never thought of the “feel” of ducks, but it totally makes sense.
As always I am ignorant but delighted by your images.
I do miss Ruddy Duck in the UK (sadly wiped out as an invasive species), sorry can’t help with your aging/sexing but stunning photos