Wednesday 7 February 2007

Goldeneye and Dutch windmills

The Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula/Brilduiker) is a medium-sized tree-hole nesting sea duck. The species is aptly named for its golden-yellow eye. Adult ♂♂ have a dark head with a greenish gloss and a conspicuous white patch below the eye, a dark back and a white neck and belly. Adult ♀♀ have a brown head and a mostly grey body. Their legs and feet are orange-yellow. Their breeding habitat is the taiga. They are found near lakes and rivers of boreal forests across Canada, Scandinavia, and northern Russia. In the Netherlands it is a common winter visitor; just opposite the lake where I photographed the Goldeneye you could find a traditional Dutch landscape patch with this row of windmills.

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