Bay Watch!

Mild temperatures have kept Sarnia Bay mostly ice free this winter. The ducks that we viewed recently, including this American Black Duck, were covered in water droplets. Brrrrr! Luckily their feathers are specially designed to keep them warm! Feathers have many specialized functions, but their most important jobs are to protect birds from the elements and to enable flight. In cold, wintry conditions, feathers are a duck's first line of defense.

Waterfowl have 3 types of feathers: Contour, Flight and Down. Contour feathers serve as a protective outer shell. Flight Feathers must support a bird's weight in flight. They are connected directly to ligaments or bone for greater structural integrity. Down Feathers provide an inner layer of insulation that traps warm air against a bird's body.

Waterfowl spend a couple hours each day caring for their feathers. An oil gland at the base of the tail secretes a preening fluid that keeps feathers soft and pliable which helps to keep the feathers from breaking and keeps them waterproof.

https://www.ducks.org/conservation/waterfowl-research-science/understanding-waterfowl-waterfowl-feathers.

American Wigeon

American Coot

Horned Grebe

Common Loon

Ring-billed Gull watching the ducks.