Daily Archives: Tuesday,March 15, 2011

Mergus merganser: Common merganser–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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rmmar2911mergstand

Mergus merganser photos by Ryan Murphy

rmmar2911We see flocks of the common mergansers (Mergus merganser) in the winter and spring months hunting for fish in a line of up to a dozen birds which will dive simultaneously to corral fish underwater. We see this in Pedder Bay, and off Taylor beach. They are not so common at Race Rocks however. This individual is in female plumage, and was perched on the end of the docks. Males are brightly coloured with contrasting white and dark greenish black markings. This is the first record of one on the island.

rmmar2911mergfemale

Mergus merganser photos by Ryan Murphy

Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class :Aves
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Genus: Mergus
Species: merganser
Common Name: Common Merganser

 

 

Return to the Race Rocks Taxonomy
This file is provided as part of a collaborative effort by the students, faculty, staff and volunteers of Lester B. Pearson College March 2011 Ryan Murphy

Gulls arrived

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The gulls have  arrived this week. The once silent days are now a cacophony of caws and screams and will continue so until the fall. The gulls are taking up nesting territories and perches around the island, however all had abandoned Great Race last night as the barometer dipped.) have arrived this week. The once silent days are now a cacophony of caws and screams and will continue so until the fall. The gulls are taking up nesting territories and perches around the island, however all had abandoned Great Race last night as the barometer dipped.