What a splendid looking duck! I’ve only seen a northern shoveler this one time and if I don’t get the opportunity again, I feel pretty lucky to have seen one just this once. He was swimming on his own in a quiet inlet, enjoying some duckweed as we walked by. I like to think he had some company on his flight south, perhaps his mate was swimming out of view.
BELINDA GROVER PHOTOGRAPHY 
March 30, 2018 at 10:44 pm
He is a beauty! Very good capture, Belinda.
LikeLike
March 31, 2018 at 7:38 am
Thank you.
LikeLike
February 24, 2018 at 9:51 pm
I had never seen one until recently, a few shots, but none like these. Very nice.
LikeLike
February 25, 2018 at 7:48 am
Thank you.
LikeLike
February 23, 2018 at 4:30 pm
Handsome duck! I’m also from the UK and yes, do see them here, but I don’t think I ever have on my travels around North America. They do have the most amazing bills…you’d think they’d overbalance and topple out of the sky when trying to fly!
LikeLike
February 23, 2018 at 4:37 pm
Thank you😊
LikeLike
February 23, 2018 at 1:08 pm
I do love these water birds. Great shots, Belinda!
LikeLike
February 23, 2018 at 2:14 pm
Me too. Thank you Pete!
LikeLiked by 1 person
February 23, 2018 at 12:12 pm
What a beautiful duck, Belinda. Love his bill and coloring. Great shots.
LikeLike
February 23, 2018 at 2:13 pm
Thank you Jane!
LikeLiked by 1 person
February 23, 2018 at 9:57 am
There’s speculation that a duck came to be called a duck because of the way the bird ducks under the water. It’s clear why a shoveler came to be called a shoveler.
LikeLiked by 1 person
February 23, 2018 at 9:45 am
There was one of these shovelers in my garden a few years back, it ate up all the frogspawn in the watery area… beautiful looking bird though, amazing iridescent greens… as soon as it saw me it flew off!
LikeLike
February 23, 2018 at 9:57 am
Talk about the duck coming right to you😊 It’s more of a search here.
LikeLiked by 1 person
February 22, 2018 at 11:11 pm
That shaped beak must surely give rise to the name – it looks enormous and strong!
LikeLike
February 23, 2018 at 8:59 am
Yes indeed!
LikeLike
February 22, 2018 at 9:25 pm
OMGosh! You’re making me feel bad. Shovelers are another bird we have lots of every Winter. So many that over the years I’ve pretty much ignored them when birding all the while hoping to see less common visitors. Of course I hope their numbers don’t diminish…ever!
Your excitement about seeing these is wonderful! So are your images as always. 🙂
LikeLike
February 22, 2018 at 10:12 pm
Funny, we haven’t seen them before or since as they’re supposed to be rather common. Maybe this will be the year😊.
I appreciate your kind comments Deborah!
LikeLiked by 1 person
February 22, 2018 at 12:03 pm
Looks like he’s been shoveling through the muck in the pond bottom. Beautiful plumage.
LikeLike
February 22, 2018 at 2:01 pm
They are extraordinary looking.
LikeLike
February 22, 2018 at 10:49 am
Beautiful pictures – this is the Shoveler we see here.
LikeLike
February 22, 2018 at 11:30 am
Thank you Adrian. Hope to see more this year.
LikeLiked by 1 person
February 22, 2018 at 6:36 am
That was a neat find, Belinda! The second image really shows him off.
LikeLike
February 22, 2018 at 9:15 am
Thank you Ellen. It was pretty exciting!
LikeLiked by 1 person
February 22, 2018 at 4:26 am
Splendid ducks very common in the UK, lovely shots Belinda.
LikeLike
February 22, 2018 at 7:56 am
Thank you. They’re supposed to be quite common here as well but I have no idea where that might be 😏
LikeLiked by 1 person
February 22, 2018 at 2:24 am
Great shots, but i don’t want to be seeing water at the moment! 🙂 It’s been raining here nonstop and the Iroquois River that we live on is rising to around 23 feet over normal. 16 ft over normal is flood stage. Our house is probably going to be OK but a lot of neighbors’ houses, especially to the south, will get flooded, unfortunately.
LikeLike
February 22, 2018 at 7:49 am
I’m sorry to hear that Tom, I hope any damage is minimal. We’ve had similar weather and flooding is a real concern to many.
LikeLiked by 1 person