Laughing Whitefish Audubon is an independent chapter of Michigan Audubon, serving Alger and Marquette counties in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Laughing Whitefish Audubon advocates for protecting birds, wildlife, and local habitats through conservation, education, advocacy, and outdoor enjoyment. Look for us on Facebook. To learn more, please visit the LWAS About Page.
Announcements
JOIN today and prepare for some excellent spring birding.
Be on the lookout for upcoming LWAS Bird Outings. Also, some bird walks will be announced last minute on our Facebook page.
SPRING/SUMMER SCHEDULE
Look over >>>>>> there for scheduled events
Additional plans –
June 24 – possible search for Kirtlands Warbler in Marquette Co.
Bird of the Month
The Northern Shoveler is a common holarctic duck with a high degree of morphological and feeding specializations. Unlike most dabbling ducks (genus Anas), it has a bill ideally suited for straining small swimming crustaceans from the water. Previous studies have shown that Northern Shovelers feed primarily by holding their bills in the water while swimming, straining out small invertebrates by continually dabbling.
Although easily recognizable, this species is less well known than other dabbling ducks such as the Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), Northern Pintail (A. acuta), or Green-winged Teal (A. crecca). Even among waterfowl hunters, it rates a low standing, perhaps as much from ignorance of this species as from experience. Although this duck has been well studied in North America and the western Palearctic, less is known about its biology and habits in Asia.
As with other species of dabbling ducks, the Northern Shoveler is found in a variety of wetland habitats, including prairie potholes, saline wetlands, and lacustrine margins in summer and in playas, coastal marshes, and rice prairies in winter. Although its courtship, nesting behavior, post-breeding biology, and migration are generally similar to that observed in other dabbling ducks, it differs in other aspects of its life history. For example, this is the most territorial of all North American dabbling ducks, and males remain paired with females longer than in other species, in turn affecting life-history parameters such as the mating system and courtship. Learn more at Birds of the World.