Heading west on Broadway I noticed these pairs of Hooded Mergansers (
Lophodytes cucullatus) circling in the Yahara River. The black-and-white-crested males appeared to be flirting even though breeding season doesn't start until March. They swam back and forth around the cinnamon-topped females while bobbing their heads back and then up. Are these males confused about the season after our December thaw? Hooded mergansers are year round residents in Madison, but will seek out larger lakes and rivers as needed in winter.
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