Ring-necked Ducks    (Aythya collaris)

Taylor Pond hosts a variety of waterfowl migrating north in the spring and south in the summer.  Mallards live year-round due to people feeding them and they gather in groups of up to 200 even when the lake is frozen over.  In the summer many small Mallard ducklings appear. Other summer residents include the Wood Duck, Common and Hooded Mergansers. The most variety appears during migration and includes Green-wing Teal, Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Lesser Scaup, Pied-billed Grebes and Ringneck Ducks. The ring on Ringneck Ducks is obscure but can be seen on the male in the bottom photo.  The white rings on the bill are easier to observe. They breed in shallow ponds in northern Maine and up to the arctic in Canada and Alaska.  In the winter they stay in the southern United States, Central America and the Caribbean. While on Taylor Pond they can be seen diving in shallow water for plant parts and invertebrates.  They typically pair up during migration prior to arriving in their northern breeding grounds.  Shy birds, they will usually take off as soon as you approach.

A pair of Ring-necked Ducks.

In this pair you can just make out the brown ring on the neck of the male.