Merganser Duck

9/4/20 - Arnold Shimelman sent the photo at left, taken last month on the Farmington River in Canton. Jay Kaplan, dire

ctor of Roaring Brook Nature Center in Canton, writes, “The common merganser is now, well, common along the Farmington River. Males have a dark green head that may appear black depending upon the light, and a bright orange bill. The females have a chestnut head and a slight crest. Fifty years ago, mergansers were a rare sight along the rivers. Efforts to clean up our waterways have paid many dividends including the return of this handsome duck.”