Goldeneyes

Greetings all on this Easter weekend. While awaiting the ferry on Galiano Island I was pleased to see this group of Goldeneye Ducks (Bucephala clangula). I have seen a couple of individual Goldeneyes this year in Victoria but not a group like this. This group is a male, on the far right, and a group of females. That bulbous swelling of the head above the eyes gives them their Latin name, "Bucephala", which means "ox-headed". And from this photo it is easy to see why they are commonly called Goldeneyes.