Bufflehead duck

We went to Brandon and back yesterday. There were many geese, ducks, and blackbirds in the many sloughs we saw. Among the ducks I recognized several Buffleheads. Here is a photo of a bufflehead that I copied from the net.

More ducks and geese

We went for a lengthy drive in the countryside and on side roads to visit a farmer friend. We saw a number of Canada geese but not in any large groups. We also saw several pairs of Mallards and several Buffleheads. We also saw a red-tailed hawk. Of course there were many crows mostly just one or two at a time.

Bees are visiting the feeder. They seem to think it is a hive and try to get inside. My neighbour who has a similar feeder but smaller seed had many bees burrow right inside where they were trapped and he had to take off the lid! I wonder if this is a symptom of the widespread problem of hive abandonment. It seems that something happens to the bees navigation system and they cannot find their way back to the hives.

There are only a few redpolls and the lone grosbeak at the feeder today.