{"id":126291,"date":"2024-03-28T04:34:41","date_gmt":"2024-03-28T10:34:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=126291"},"modified":"2025-05-07T20:13:05","modified_gmt":"2025-05-08T01:13:05","slug":"drake-northern-shoveler-and-american-coot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/03\/28\/drake-northern-shoveler-and-american-coot\/","title":{"rendered":"Drake Northern Shoveler And American Coot"},"content":{"rendered":"

This drake Northern Shoveler swam past me on my last trip up to Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge<\/span><\/a>. I couldn’t resist taking photos of him. Why would I want to?<\/p>\n

\"DrakeDrake Northern Shoveler swimming by \u2013 Nikon D500, f9, 1\/1250, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Male Northern Shovelers are striking-looking dabbling ducks. In breeding plumage, their black bills, iridescent green heads, white breasts, and chestnut flanks are quite eye-catching.<\/p>\n

I know for sure that this Northern Shoveler caught my eye when he swam by.<\/p>\n

Northern Shovelers are migratory ducks in most parts of the country. In Utah, they are year-round residents.<\/p>\n

\"NorthernNorthern Shoveler drake with an American Coot \u2013 Nikon D500, f9, 1\/1250, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I did think it was odd that I didn’t see a hen Northern Shoveler near this male, because by now they are usually paired up. But maybe there was a female hidden in the phrags on the far side of this canal.<\/p>\n

Female shovelers can blend into the marshy habitat far more easily than the brightly colored males.<\/p>\n

Instead, an American Coot swam up to the male Northern Shoveler, and they paddled side by side together for a bit. I liked how this photo showed that the shoveler drake is longer in length than the coot.<\/p>\n

I also liked how this image showed the difference in the eye color of these two species.<\/p>\n

Another thing I enjoyed about both of these photos is how the bright blue sky was reflected on the water and mixed in with the browns of the nearby phrags.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good,<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Northern Shoveler photos plus facts and information about this species. Click here<\/a><\/span> to view more of my American Coot photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This drake Northern Shoveler swam past me on my last trip up to Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. I couldn’t resist taking photos of him. Why would I want to?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":143284,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[137,124,27,1148,429,26],"tags":[4004,4010,2772,2773,4717,4483,1129,126,4121,4062,4094,1137,6968,4903,975,1283,3996,4095,373],"class_list":["post-126291","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-american-coots","category-bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge","category-avian","category-box-elder-county-utah","category-northern-shovelers","category-utah","tag-adult","tag-american-coot","tag-coot","tag-coots","tag-dabbling-ducks","tag-drake","tag-duck","tag-ducks-2","tag-fulica-americana","tag-male","tag-marsh","tag-northern-shoveler","tag-shoveler","tag-shovelers","tag-spatula-clypeata","tag-swimming","tag-water","tag-wetlands","tag-winter"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t