Ruddy Duck – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

Drake Ruddy Duck In Early Breeding Plumage

By Mia McPherson|January 19th, 2024|Categories: Birds, Ruddy Ducks, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, autumn, breeding plumage, Definitive Alternate Plumage, Definitive Basic Plumage, diving ducks, drake, duck, ducks, fall, male, nonbreeding plumage, Oxyura jamaicensis, park, pond, Ruddy Duck, snow, snowy, urban, water|

I've been paying a lot of attention to a drake Ruddy Duck at my local pond because he has gone into breeding plumage earlier than is normal for this species.

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Ruddy Duck Drake – What A Difference 20 Days Makes

By Mia McPherson|December 18th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Ruddy Ducks, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, autumn, bill color, blue bill, diving ducks, drake, duck, ducks, fall, male, molt, nonbreeding plumage, Oxyura jamaicensis, park, pond, Ruddy Duck, transitioning, urban, water|

Just 20 days can make a big difference in the way this Ruddy Duck drake looks. His bill is a lot bluer now than it was when I first saw him at my local pond.

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Urban Ruddy Duck Drake

By Mia McPherson|November 26th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Ruddy Ducks, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, afternoon, autumn, diving ducks, drake, duck, ducks, fall, male, nonbreeding plumage, Oxyura jamaicensis, park, pond, Ruddy Duck, urban, water, windy|

Even though it was windy yesterday afternoon, I spent a few minutes with a Ruddy Duck drake in my viewfinder at my local pond. I hoped that he would get closer.

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Ruddy Duck shaking in morning light

By Mia McPherson|May 21st, 2023|Categories: Birds, Ruddy Ducks, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: breeding plumage, diving ducks, drake, duck, ducks, male, Oxyura jamaicensis, park, pond, Ruddy Duck, shaking, spring, urban, water, wings|

Last month, when I took this photo of a male Ruddy Duck shaking at my local pond, I liked the way the light illuminated the lower part of his wings.

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Drake Ruddy Duck And His Sky Blue Bill

By Mia McPherson|April 28th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Ruddy Ducks, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: blue bill, bluebill, breeding plumage, Bubbling Display, close up, diving ducks, drake, duck, ducks, male, Oxyura jamaicensis, park, pond, portrait, Ruddy Duck, spring, stiff, swimming, tail, up close, urban, water, waterfowl|

Yesterday morning, I had a real treat photographing a drake Ruddy Duck close to home. He was in his most dapper breeding plumage, including his sky blue bill.

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Ruddy Duck Drake Close To Home

By Mia McPherson|January 17th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Ruddy Ducks, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, breeding plumage, diving ducks, drake, duck, ducks, male, Oxyura jamaicensis, pond, Ruddy Duck, transitioning, urban, water, winter|

The last time I was at my neighborhood pond I spotted a Ruddy Duck drake out in the middle of the water who was starting to transition into breeding plumage.

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Ruddy Ducks In Flight

By Mia McPherson|November 24th, 2021|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Ruddy Ducks, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, autumn, diving ducks, drake, duck, ducks, fall, female, flight, flock, flying, hen, male, marsh, nonbreeding plumage, Oxyura jamaicensis, pond, preening, Ruddy Duck, sky, swimming, urban, water, waterfowl, wetlands, winter|

A few days ago I saw someone say that they rarely saw photos of Ruddy Ducks in flight and I remembered I had a series of them flying past taken 11 years ago.

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Winter Ruddy Duck Close To Home

By Mia McPherson|January 27th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Ruddy Ducks, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: blue bill, diving, diving ducks, duck, ducks, first winter, hint, immature/female, male, Oxyura jamaicensis, pond, Ruddy Duck, water, waterfowl, winter|

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.

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Resting Ruddy Duck In A Fog

By Mia McPherson|November 17th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Ruddy Ducks, Utah|Tags: autumn, duck, ducks, early morning, fall, fog, foggy, marsh, mist, Oxyura jamaicensis, resting, Ruddy Duck, steam fog, sunrise, Wasatch Mountains, water, waterfowl, wetlands|

I'm really glad I looked at these ducks in the fog and decided to take photos of them even though I was looking towards the sun instead of away from it like I typically do when photographing birds.

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Some Of The Birds Seen At Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge During The Month of May

By Mia McPherson|May 19th, 2019|Categories: American Avocets, American Bitterns, American Coots, American White Pelicans, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Black-crowned Night Herons, Blue-winged Teals, Box Elder County, Brown-headed Cowbirds, California Gulls, Cinnamon Teals, Clark's Grebes, Cliff Swallows, Forster's Terns, Killdeer, Long-billed Dowitchers, Marsh Wrens, Northern Shovelers, Red-winged Blackbirds, Ruddy Ducks, Savannah Sparrows, Tree Swallows, Utah, Western Grebes, White-faced Ibises, Yellow-headed Blackbirds|Tags: American Avocet, American Bittern, American Coot, American White Pelican, Black-crowned Night Heron, Blue-winged Teal, Brown-headed Cowbird, California Gull, Cinnamon Teal, Clark's Grebe, Cliff Swallow, Forster's Tern, Killdeer, Long-billed Dowitcher, Marsh Wren, Northern Shoveler, Red-winged Blackbird, Ruddy Duck, Savannah Sparrow, Tree Swallow, Western Grebe, White-faced Ibis, Yellow-headed Blackbird|

May is a time of renewal at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and as the marsh begins to green up the migrant birds return and along with the year round residents their songs and calls can be heard over the wetlands.

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Ruddy Duck Drake In Nonbreeding Plumage

By Mia McPherson|January 17th, 2019|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Ruddy Ducks, Utah|Tags: adult, Alternate I Plumage, blue water, Definitive Basic Plumage, diving ducks, drake, duck, ducks, male, marsh, nonbreeding plumage, Oxyura jamaicensis, refuge, Ruddy Duck, winter|

Even though this drake Ruddy Duck is small in the frame I liked this image because of the silky blue water, the small wake behind the duck, the direct eye contact and how some of the blue of this drake's bill is visible.

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Ruddy Duck Hen in Golden Evening Light

By Mia McPherson|September 18th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Mallards, Ruddy Ducks, Salt Lake County|Tags: adult, Anas platyrhynchos, comparison, diving ducks, duck, ducks, evening light, female, Mallard, Oxyura jamaicensis, Ruddy Duck, size comparison, water, waterfowl, winter|

The Ruddy Duck hen was photographed at a pond close to where I live during the evening hours and I loved the golden light on the bird and on the water.

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It is Getting Duckier at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge

By Mia McPherson|August 18th, 2015|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Gadwalls, Redheads, Ruddy Ducks, Utah|Tags: Aythya americana, duck, ducklings, ducks, Gadwall, Mareca strepera, marsh, Oxyura jamaicensis, Redhead, Ruddy Duck, water, waterfowl, wetlands|

Over the past couple of weeks I have noticed that Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge is getting duckier. I am seeing more ducks in the water and flying over head now than I had in July.

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Ruddy Duck Hen

By Mia McPherson|February 7th, 2015|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Ruddy Ducks, Utah|Tags: adult, diving ducks, duck, ducks, female, fluffed up, hen, marsh, Oxyura jamaicensis, rousing, Ruddy Duck, settle, shaking, water, waterfowl, wetlands, wing flap, wing flapping, wings, winter|

This series of Ruddy Duck images took just a little less than 8 seconds and then she tucked her bill back under her scapular and closed her eyes again.

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Photos that make me laugh – Ruddy Duck female

By Mia McPherson|December 6th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Ruddy Ducks, Utah|Tags: adult, autumn, bill, diving ducks, duck, ducks, fall, female, funny, hen, humor, ice, Oxyura jamaicensis, Ruddy Duck, shaking, snow, water, waterfowl|

Some times when I open a photo I took I can't help but laugh for various reasons, in this case when I opened the file the pose of this Ruddy Duck female just "quacked" me up.

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