After spotting a lone male wood duck at Granada Park last spring, I've enjoyed return visits in hopes of finding other surprise visitors. Like many urban parks in the Phoenix area, Granada is home to man-made lakes that provide a year-round safe habitat for water fowl like mallards, ring-necked ducks, American coots and even a few domestic ducks that have escaped a fate on our dinner tables. Besides the wood duck, I've spotted other migratory water fowl like common mergansers and goldeneyes at the site.
On a spontaneous visit this week I was excited to encounter two new birds in the park's lower pond, both male canvasbacks joining in the mix of ducks crowding a bank location where visitors regularly feed them. They stood out because of their bright white backs and glowing red eyes, not to mention a certain wariness as they seemed to mostly linger on the flock's perimeter. Apparently early English settlers considered the bird's color to be close to the hue of canvas, while the French and Spanish more accurately used their words for the color white in the familiar names they gave the duck: morillon à dos blanc and pato lomo blanco, two expressions roughly translated as "white-backed ducks."
However you name the duck, the canvasback has a distinctive head with a sleek, sloping forehead and a large, dark bill. In a frenetic and noisy group of smaller American wigeons and ring-necked ducks, he appears distinguished and stately. If he were a dog, he'd be the pointer in a yappy pack of terriers. For a birder there's no better way to start off the New Year than with a new bird, especially one that's so handsome and dignified. May our 2019 be just like him.
On a spontaneous visit this week I was excited to encounter two new birds in the park's lower pond, both male canvasbacks joining in the mix of ducks crowding a bank location where visitors regularly feed them. They stood out because of their bright white backs and glowing red eyes, not to mention a certain wariness as they seemed to mostly linger on the flock's perimeter. Apparently early English settlers considered the bird's color to be close to the hue of canvas, while the French and Spanish more accurately used their words for the color white in the familiar names they gave the duck: morillon à dos blanc and pato lomo blanco, two expressions roughly translated as "white-backed ducks."
However you name the duck, the canvasback has a distinctive head with a sleek, sloping forehead and a large, dark bill. In a frenetic and noisy group of smaller American wigeons and ring-necked ducks, he appears distinguished and stately. If he were a dog, he'd be the pointer in a yappy pack of terriers. For a birder there's no better way to start off the New Year than with a new bird, especially one that's so handsome and dignified. May our 2019 be just like him.
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| Male canvasback at Granada Park in Phoenix. |
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| Two male canvasbacks in a flock of ducks. |
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| Male canvasback with mallards. |
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| Male canvasback with male ring-necked duck. |
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| Male canvasback with male American wigeons. |
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| Male canvasback. |
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| Male canvasback. |
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| Male canvasback. |
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