The mergansers have come back to the lake. They are more timid than the mallards and the loons, so I was happy to get some photos of them. The ice was off of the shoreline, so the ducks were staying fairly close to shore.
The male and female look very different. Immature males look similar to the females.
They make their nests in tree cavities or nesting boxes. The fluctuation of the water levels does not seem to bother them as much as the loons. The mergansers have large families, and the female spends her time looking after them.
