Red-breasted Merganser on the Delaware and the Long-tailed Duck ~ January 4, 2026

I stopped at the "Forks of the Delaware" and found 11 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 6 American Herring Gulls among a couple hundred Ring-billeds.

I went up Route 611 and stopped at Jay Snyder Memorial Park to check that part of the river. There, I found a female Red-breasted Merganser among 17 Common Mergansers and 5 Buffleheads. I got these mediocre comparison photos of the females of the two species.

A female Red-breasted Merganser (center) with a female Common.

Note the smaller size, paler head, and thinner bill of the Red-breasted compared with the larger size, darker head, and thicker bill of the Common. Also note the diffused coloration of the light part of the breast which blends in with the head and the grayish sides compared to the noticeable white chin patch, and the white throat and breast contrasting with the dark head and gray sides on the Common. Many guides mention the shaggy crest on the Red-breasted, but I've seen many female Commons with a shaggy-looking crest, which the Common in this photo shows some evidence of, so I do not consider this point as a strong, determining factor.

I then headed for the Nazareth Quarry. The continuing Long-tailed Duck was there along with 43 Canada Geese, 36 Ruddy Ducks, 11 Buffleheads, 6 American Black Ducks, 3 Ring-necked Ducks, 7 Common Mergansers, and 16 American Coots.

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