On the 4th, I went to Callahan State Park. I saw that a group made up of 17 Mallard Ducks had congregated in a hole in the ice of a gulf course's pond. As I tried walking closer, my boots in the snow crunched and the Ducks looked nervous like they were about to fly off. I decided to stop getting closer and take photos from a distance. They look really cold. Mallards produce waterproof oil which they spread over all of their feathers. This adaptation helps prevent hypothermia. As I walked away, they returned to the hole in the ice again. They were clearly trying to feed.

Mallard breeding season is only a month away, and they were most likely already preparing, However, most females have already chosen partners by now. Mallard ducks are generalists but most of their diet consists of wetland invertebrates and plants.

Their feet turn bright orange, to attract a female. Males look drastically different from females. They have dark green heads, yellow bills, white neck rings, and a grey body, while females are brown and have plumage more geared towards camouflage. By displaying ridiculous colors, the males are sending the females a message: "my genes work so well, that I can survive even without camouflage".

The next day, on the 5th, I decided to go bird watching at Simpson Park (a section of riverbank overlooking the Sudbury River). I ended up finding a camera-shy Belted Kingfisher and 4 different water-fowl species. Mallard Ducks, Canada Geese, Mute Swans and Hooded Mergansers. Overall, an amazing day for bird-watching.

Hooded Mergansers (bottom left) are not birds I typically see and even though I knew the picture was going to be low resolution due to sheer distance, I wanted evidence that I even saw one. This is my first time ever getting a photo of a Merganser. All the water fowl were mixed into one huge flock, slowly moving counter clockwise. As I biked away, down the road, I saw Mallards and Mergansers passing north overhead, probably relocating to Sudbury River Pond. They formed V-shaped formations by species, like what fighter jets do.

A pair of Mallards stayed away from the group, and stuck near me. I think I was on what could be their future nest. It could also be, though that they just happened to be feeding together, away from the flock. I returned again the next day, And saw pretty much the same stuff. I am now determined to get a picture of the Belted Kingfisher. I heard it hissing and rattling, patrolling the river for fish. I saw it, but it always flies and disappears way to fast to take a picture of. I mostly just got Canada Geese.

I went back out today (the 9th), In search (again) of the noisy but camera-shy Belted Kingfisher. Instead I got more waterbirds. As usual.

Today, I finally got up close to the Hooded Merganser. Unfortunately, it was a female, which are much drabber and duller than the black and white males, but I am still satisfied by it. It has a characteristic "Hood" and a cormorant - like bill designed for catching fish rather than a duck-like bill designed for eating vegetation. I apologize for low resolution due to 5 PM's poor lighting.

I also ran into more swarms of Mallard Ducks and Canada Geese. I think these two unrelated species intentionally stay together, for protection. I might even go as far to say that they have a symbiotic relationship, but that is probably stretching it.

I returned on the 10th again, and saw something cooler than the kingfisher. Two juvenile Bald Eagles. I walked in, and rustled up two started birds: a Great Blue Heron, and a massive bird of prey, way too big to be a Red-Tailed Hawk. Sadly, the heron disappeared into some brush across the river before I could open the camera app. The Eagle was perched in a White Pine, also across the river. While I was watching it, another Eagle soared overhead, parallel to the river. I pulled out my phone and it disappeared further downstream.

While my camera app was open, the original left it's branch, flapping after the other one. I got it.

These are lacking the iconic white heads and tails because they are juveniles. They do not need the white coloration because they are not of breeding age(approx. 5 yrs old).

40 years ago, Bald Eagles were almost extinct, due to de-forestation, water pollution, and trophy hunting. The endangered species act protected them, and raised awareness. Recently, Bald Eagles have been making a comeback, causing them to re-populate the rivers, lakes, and shores of North America.

Bald Eagle's diet is about 60% fish, 30% birds, and 10% mammals. (Those were all rounded to the nearest 10). This means they compete with mergansers, herons, kingfishers, and ospreys. Bald Eagles, unlike ospreys, do not dive into the water, and instead glide low above the water and reach down into the water in flight, picking fish up through the surface.

I am going to guess that these two Eagles are siblings, to explain their need to be near each other

On the way out of Simpson Park, I noticed wing marks on the snow. One looks as if it was a bird of prey, ploughing into the snow in an attempt to catch prey. Possibly one of the Bald Eagles. Others are probably songbirds, foraging for insects and seeds.

I also saw the Belted Kingfisher, but as always, by the time I see it, It is already flying away. Now that I know about the heron, I am also just as interested in getting a photo of it. Herons are difficult to find due to their lack of movement. They have evolved to stay as still as a statue, except for slight swaying, to blend in with tall grass blowing in the wind.

On the 11th, I biked back into Simpson Park, this time with bananas. I know that feeding ducks is not good for the environment, but I decided to use a healthier alternative. Bananas. I also justify it by noting that it is the snowiest month of the year and food is more scarce now than ever, so I might be helping them more than I am hurting them.

My plan worked extremely well, and I got closer to the mallards than I ever have.

Another pair of mallards swam over, too after seeing that i was tossing out banana chunks. Even a Hooded Merganser stopped by, only to realize that bananas do not match up with their diet of fish and crustaceans.

She dove over and over again, each time sticking her face underwater first, to look around. she kept nosediving into the water and then re-surfacing somewhere else. The entire time, I watched as one of the Bald Eagles from the other day circled far above.