Adult male Common Goldeneye with white markings on his bill – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/2000, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
The snow I wrote about yesterday morning was a disappointment because we didn’t get much at all down in the valley and the snow stopped falling rather early in the day so I didn’t get a single photo of a bird at my local pond with big, fat, fluffy snowflakes falling.
I did find and photograph an adult drake Common Goldeneye with pigment issues on his bill at my local pond.
In this photo of the drake goldeneye the white areas on his bill should be a shiny black.
Drake Common Goldeneye with an odd colored bill – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1600, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
When I first saw this drake goldeneye he was preening and I thought that the white area on his bill was a feather that had gotten stuck on it. Then a gust of wind blew something into my left eye which messed up my vision in that eye for the entire time I photographed this male. My eye was tearing and something kept moving into my field of vision. That visual disturbance lasted into the evening last night which wasn’t at all pleasant.
I relied heavily on my camera’s auto focus yesterday because I was having visual difficulties due to the strongs winds and tearing eyes.
Adult drake Common Goldeneye preening on a windy day – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1600, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
When I got back home and uploaded the images I took of the drake Common Goldeneye I could see that his bill had pigment issues and that it wasn’t a white feather stuck on his bill.
Drake Common Goldeneye and his odd colored bill – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/2500, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
This male Common Goldeneye is in his breeding plumage which is also known as Definitive Alternate Plumage which means he has a lot of white feathers. This drake Common Goldeneye may have other pigment issues but since the males of this species have so much white in their plumage it could be difficult to tell if he does.
For instance; last winter I photographed a leucistic second winter Bald Eagle with white feathers on its head, crown and throat where it was obvious that those white feathers wouldn’t normally be white at that stage of the eagle’s life. When that particular Bald Eagle obtains its adult plumage the leucism I documented in my photos will not be noticeable or evident because the areas where it had white feathers as a sub-adult will be white as and adult. The same thing could be happening with this drake Common Goldeneye. I might not be able to see leucism of it has occurred in area where this drake has white feathers.
Adult drake Common Goldeneye settling down on the water – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/2500, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
Additionally, the lack of pigment on this drake’s bill might only be affecting the bare part of his bill. I have photographed Laughing Gulls that only seemed to have pigment issues with their bare parts which were their legs and bills. Both gulls seemed to have normally colored feathers for the time of year that I photographed them and looked identical to the other gulls in the area except for their oddly colored legs and bills.
Drake Common Goldeneye with an odd bill – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/2500, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
This Common Goldeneye drake’s bill fascinates me. I usually only see this species in the winter here in northern Utah and to find one with an unusually pigmented bill was interesting.
Male Common Goldeneye flapping his wings – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/2500, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
There were other male and female Common Goldeneyes on the pond yesterday afternoon yet this drake seemed to keep to himself. I don’t think that has anything to do with his odd colored bill, I think it has more to do with it being his feeding territory because he was diving and searching for food when he wasn’t preening.
Swimming drake Common Goldeneye fighting the wind – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/2000, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
It was pretty windy yesterday afternoon and bitter cold. By the time I got home my hands felt like they were chunks of ice. I hope to see this drake Common Goldeneye with his odd colored bill again, perhaps even later today.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my Common Goldeneye photos plus facts and information about this species.
Wonderful series of Goldeneye pics. I can almost feel the movement of the water and, of course, the detail and colors you captured are wonderful. Thanks Mia.
Lovely photos, they are such striking birds with the yellow eye and dark green iridescent feathers. I see them when I bike along the Jordan River. I stopped riding there because of all the goat heads, maybe I will try again.
I started carrying a eye drops in my back pack due to getting things in my eyes while riding. I stop and instantly wash my eye out. It has made a huge difference with the long term irritation. Always thinking around autoimmune issues. Hope your eye is felling better today.
I hope your eye is better today. Great photos of the Common Goldeneye.
I hope your eye is much better today.
I love (and am endlessly grateful) your knowledge and your attention to detail. Each morning you bring wonders into my life (and frequently educate me too). Thank you.