For those of us that spend a lot of time outdoors in Western New York, the quantity of waterfowl that resides in our area comes as no surprise, especially if you frequent areas around the Niagara river. Many of us have been brought up to believe that the reason birds fly south for the winter is because they don’t like the cold. While shivering feathers may be part of it, that is not the main reason. The reason migrations take place is strictly for habitat and food availability. From song birds like Robins and Red Wing Blackbirds to waterfowl like Mallards and Canadian Geese, the long migratory flights usually will only take them as far south as the site of open water or bare ground.

There are two different classifications of waterfowl. These classifications are “Diving Ducks” and “Puddle Ducks”. Now don’t go looking for a flock of ducks with scuba gear on, or waiting next to the nearest pot hole full of water waiting for a flock of ducks to land in it. There is a little bit more science that goes into that naming convention.

Puddle Ducks are classified as waterfowl that forage for food in shallow water. Meaning, they do not submerse themselves to hunt for food. If you have watched Mallards and Canadian Geese feed in their natural environments, you have seen that they seem to flip upside down in the water with their butts in the air. Geese are in the classification of Puddle Ducks also, but are the only waterfowl that will naturally feed on dry land as well. I said naturally because if a duck sees a pile of corn or feed artificially placed on dry land, they will feed at it. Geese can be found feeding on golf courses, parks and cut corn fields as well.

The other classification of waterfowl are the Divers. As you might have figured out, these birds will submerse themselves for food and primarily feed on small fish, mollusks, and submerged plant life. These birds seem to be able to fly through the water just as easy as they fly through the air using their wings as propellants underwater just as they do when they are airborne. Some diving ducks can go as deep as 20 feet in search of food, but normally will average around 10 feet.

Outside of their feeding habits, one of the major differences in behavioral characteristics between diver ducks and puddle ducks is their take off and landing methods. Puddle ducks seem to jump out of the water and take off straight in the air, where diver ducks seem to run across the water and slowly elevate on take off. Landing is much the same way for both classes of birds where puddle ducks seem to come down more vertically then diver ducks will. Another curious aspect of the Golden Eye or Whistler, which is a type of diver, is that the hen will nest in tree cavities instead of on the ground like most other waterfowl. Whistlers also get their name from the extremely audible whistle that is caused from air flowing through the flight feathers of their wings when they take to the air. On a calm day, this whistle can be heard hundreds of yards away.

The Niagara River is a major stopping point for much of the migration coming out of Canada because of the availability of open water through the winter months. Many people I talk with are surprised that there are over 20 different species of Ducks, Geese, and Swans that make the Niagara River their home from November to March with many of them becoming resident here all year. Driving through Beaver Island State Park on Grand Island, you can see most of them including the Trumpeter Swans that seem to find there way back each year. Even more spectacular is the drive along the West River on Grand Island or the Robert Moses Parkway in Niagara Falls and witnessing the rafts of thousands of Blue Bills (Greater Scaup), Buffleheads, Canvasbacks, Mallards, Old Squaw, Mergansers, and Whistling ducks. These sites are somewhat time sensitive as when the warmer temperatures arrive, the ducks will return to their breeding grounds in Canada.