As the Mississippi River thaws, plenty of dead fish are left behind.  Ducks and other birds migrating north take advantage of this abundant food source.  On an outing with my class this week,  we saw American White Pelicans, Double-crested Cormorants, Buffleheads, Northern Shovelers, Mallards, Scaup, Bald Eagles, Great Blue Herons, and Canvasbacks.  It was too cloudy for effective photography that day, but today I went back to the same areas and got a few decent shots. 

From Winter 2011

Bufflehead hen

From Winter 2011

Bufflehead drake.  These were doing courtship behaviors earlier in the week.

From Winter 2011

Bufflehead pair.  These ice ducks won't hang around long.

From Winter 2011

Pied-billed grebe, dripping

From Winter 2011

Pied-billed grebe—this was has a genuine pied bill.

From Winter 2011

Pied-billed grebe with a decent fish.  He was lucky the gulls didn't take it away. 

From Winter 2011

Incredibly, he swallowed it in one piece.

From Winter 2011

Spotted at Wakonda State Park on my drive home.

From Winter 2011

A lone individual.  It had been hanging around some Canada geese, but ran from the water when I pulled up.  I managed to get some shots between the trees.  This one's probably a cripple, and has poor prospects for survival.  It should be with a flock of thousands of Ross and Lesser Snow Geese heading north.