Maganser Ducks are back
 

I spotted one duck last year and posted the photo, which several TOTVers were kind enough to identify. This year, there is a huge flock of Magansers, males and females. They are fascinating to watch; you can see them at Lake Sanibel.

Very nice photo! Those are Hooded Mergansers. The males have that remarkable coloring on their head.

We sure get a lot of variety of water birds here in The Villages.

Do they stay all winter, or are they just passing through?

They are beautiful and this is a species of bird that I have not seen yet. When I get to Florida I can mark the Hooded Merganser off the list. There is also a Common and Red breasted Merganser.

They spend the winter in Florida and head north when spring arrives.

Ducks seen Here
 

There are also Blue winged teal, Gadwalls, Mallards, Ringnecks, Grebes, Black Ducks,
to help id any you see this is a good source for me:

Waterfowl ID, Duck ID, Duck Sounds, Duck Photos, Goose ID: Ducks Unlimited


There is also a flock of black-bellied whistlers -

Black-bellied Whistling Duck Facts, Figures, Description and Photo

which according to Ducks Unlimited, live on the gulf coast in Texas south - - not a clue how they got here!

This wood stork will always be the most fascinating in Lake Sanibel so far. About a dozen of them hung out for a week, and then they were gone.