The last cold front over the holidays push some bluebills down to my home water. Here are a few recent diver pics that help compare Ring-necked Ducks vs Lesser Scaups

^Ring-necked flight of drakes and hens

^Lesser Scaup drake flight

^Lesser Scaup drake - notice the bill is lacking a white band and also has a paler back and compared to the below Ring-necked drake

^Ringed-necked drakes - notice the white band on and around the bill, and black back compared to above Lesser Scaup drake

^Lesser Scaup hen - notice yellow eyes and bills are different compared to Ring-necked hen below

^Ring-necked hen - notice brown eyes and white band on bill compared to above Lesser Scaup

Great photos and very educational! Thanks for sharing.

Biggest and most important difference in my opinion is in cleaning em and on the table.

If you ever want to see some blue bill, check out the park below in north Dallas. Blue bills winter there every season like clock work. Took these pics early December, they will stay there all winter, head back north around March. It seems like it is same flock of like 200 of them. Would love to out a tracking device on them and study them, see if the same birds winter there every season and where the go in the summer. I been watching these birds for 15 years.

Really great pics. I still say a ring neck is a pretty duck. I cut my teeth on ring necks in the late sixties and early seventies. I don't have a problem eating them but I won't pluck them. Skin and cook with something or mix into duck sausage. They're not teal or pintails or even gadwalls that have been in the rice, but they're not mergansers either.

I don't eat them or shoot them any more. Eating them is not nearly as bad as a ringer burp the next day.

Last fall I found a report of a bluebill they gps tracked all spring and summer. It was an interactive map of were he was and when and how far he was traveling. It was really cool stuff. Tried to find the link to post for you, but I couldnt.

The little pond by my house in north Dallas, same thing, it's full of bluebills. Ringnecks, wigein, gadwall, shovelers. Im convinced its the same ducks that come back and winter every year.

Guy - Thanks for the pond tip. I mapped it. Looks like lots of surrounding houses without much in the way of open parking. No idea why, but some narrow minded people, usually geezers with hot wives or daughters, get concerned if I show up with a 600mm super telephoto lens in their backyard.

I still have a few divers hanging out in my backyard. Here's a tight shot of a Bufflehead drake from yesterday to add to the diver collection. At first glance, most think they have black and white heads but they drakes have colorful heads up close.

Great pics. Those buffleheads have some pretty colors for sure.

that bufflehead pic would be a great taxidermy "pose", great photo! We shot a couple of lessers this season

Also check out Cottonwood Park (Coit/Beltline)
lots of ducks land in that pond

Blue Moon thanks for posting your pics are aways spectacular