I got out before sunrise on a cold Winter morning, put on three layers of camo, put a handwarmer in each pocket, and hid in the brush right on the edge of the lake. God rewarded my efforts by sending several Hooded Mergansers my way. They are such beautiful, but very elusive Creatures! One pair swam right in front of me, and went through an entire mating ritual. It was amazing to observe! The female lowered herself deeper into the water, and created lots of ripples. I’m not sure whether she did that with her feet, her body, or both. You can see the ripples in the photos of the sequence. There was no wind, so everything you see was generated by her.

Meanwhile, the male swam right past her several times, then started making tight circles around her. He finally commenced mating. His expressions were very humanistic, to say the least! They both seemed to have an afterglow, as well! I don’t always post my photos in sequence, but these are, starting with random shots, then the mating session. After the session, the happy couple went about their way, diving for fish and other food. I never saw them catch anything, but they didn’t seem to mind!

Please leave any comments below. I love hearing from everyone! You can also e-mail me at danny@dannyswildlife.com . Either way, I look forward to hearing from you!

I want to welcome all newcomers to this site! I hope you will enjoy these photos, share the posts with your family and friends across all social media, and take your children and grandchildren out to see God’s Splendor and Beauty yourselves!! You’ll be SO glad you did!

Thank you, and God bless you all!