In the winter months I can always count on seeing the bufflehead - the most petite of seabirds measuring at only 13.5 - 14 inches.  They seem to be one of the most abundant in the waters of the Juan de Fuca Straits.  When foraging, one has to be quick to capture them on film as their appearance is brief - only about 12 seconds before they give a slight forward leap to plunge powerfully downward. After another 12 - 25 seconds, they bob back to the surface like a cork and do it all over again! If there are more than one, they may make their dives in unison.  They are mostly underwater eaters, dining in our saltwater on shrimp, crabs, amphipods, isopods, snails, mussels, herring eggs, sculpins, and ratfishes.

















Did you know that like the wood duck, buffleheads  are cavity nesters? Their small size is perfect for abandoned flicker nests which is their main source of nesting cavities. Nest boxes are important alternatives in areas where logging has removed the trees with cavities.

After lining the nest solely with her downy feathers, the female incubates her 4 - 17 eggs for c. 30 days.  Bufflehead pairs are mostly monogamous. The males show their loyalty to their mate as they share the mating season multiple years in a row. Buffleheads are one of the few duck species who do this. 

Chicks: After only 1-2 days, the babies are ready to leave the nest and follow mom to the water. This is the only time the female walks on land unless she is forced to move to another pond with her ducklings. The young will be tended by their mother, but they feed themselves. After 55 days, they are ready to fly.

Life span: average 2.5 years with the oldest being 18.5 years of age.