|
 |
|
|
|
| Ocean salinity, currents and tidal action keep coastal waters open in the late fall and early spring, providing habitat for seabirds that rely on coastal waters or open ocean for food. An enclosed bay, estuary, and open ocean create habitat for migrating shorebirds and wintering marine ducks. |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Red-breasted Merganser |
PHOTO: 1 2 |
|
|
 |
|
| Recognized at a distance by their shaggy crest and bold plumage, mergansers are fish-eating machines. Bearing a serrated beak designed to catch and hold slippery fish, these underwater predators are capable of out-swimming some very fast piscine prey. Much more common in winter than at any other season, these ducks do not go as far as others to breed. Some possibly nest as close as Duxbury Beach. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
