January is Merganser time

This is a January of mergansers. Common mergansers have been more "common" than usual, or perhaps just more concentrated because of limited open water. Here's a short tour.

Let's start with Mill Street in Dover, where common mergansers can be seen in the morning resting on the icy edges.
Then up to Nahanton Park, where open water under the Kendrick St bridge attracted this group of common mergansers, plus a male hoodie.
Then to Hemlock Gorge. Nothing below the falls (the water is too fast and foamy) but above the falls, another nice group of commons, affording relatively close-up views.

[Flickr's new embed code is driving me nuts. Click on the above to see the full merganser]


And another male hoodie associating with a female common.
Are these hooded mergansers making merganser ID errors? Look at the size, Mr. Hoodie. The size.