Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula)

Just as I was packing up to leave Fleming Beach last week I spotted this duck near the boat ramp and snapped this quick shot (above). This is a female Common Goldeneye. I don't see them very often and this is the first I've seen this year. They are so different from the male of the species that I always think I've come across a duck new to me. Below is a photo of a Common Goldeneye drake (from last spring) so you can see how much the genders differ.