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November 24

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Places to Visit and Explore Nature in Stanley Park Ecosystem Guides: Pond Stanley Park Visitor Map: with Park Features, Trails, and Destinations Ceperley Creek

Hooded Mergansers Key your eyes open for small groups of hooded mergansers in Stanley Park. These small mergansers are attracted to the sheltered, fish rich, freshwater habitats of Lost Lagoon, Ceperley Creek, and Beaver Lake. Not long after their arrival, adult male and females begin the process of courtship and pair formation. These courting males combine sound with a sriking visual display. Note the inflated necks enhanced by the spreading of feathers. The males produce a distinctive, soft, slurred, croaking sound along with the visual display of outstretched and expanded neck, repeated head flicks, bill opening, and crest expansion. It is interesting to speculate on the effect of the signal and who's getting the message. At times nearby female(s) appear uninterested. Are the males displaying to each other as well as the female?       Field Guide Entry: Hooded Mergansers

Stanley Park Explorer http://www.stanleyparkexplorer.ca Produced by Peter Woods naturalist@stanleyparkexplorer.ca           Revised: May 20, 2011