Our Backyard Zoo... Barrow's Goldeneye

Barrow's Goldeneye - male

Barrow's Goldeneye - female

Not really a 'backyard zoo', but many days it seems like that! Our back windows look out on the Yellowstone River and Yellowstone National Park.... Always something out there to photograph. I took these photos today of a Barrow's Goldeneye pair swimming in the river below our gallery. They're diving ducks - interesting to watch as they 'dive' for their food (usually aquatic insects) then pop up down stream a ways to do it again. Very soon, around mid April, we can expect to see their courting rituals begin, usually on small lakes around here. The males will puff out their heads as much as possible, then swim toward the females in a bowing position.

I'll keep you posted on the birds and animals that pass through our 'zoo'. The birds can be particularly interesting in the Spring as we get 'new arrivals'. And I'll add a tidbit of info about the amazing, and varied, wildlife of Yellowstone.