Hooded Mergansers Visit

Several hooded mergansers descended on the St. Joseph County retention pond after an early-February thaw melted the ice. Visible from the street were a cluster of mallards, Canada geese, and hooded mergansers, while a Cooper's hawk observed nearby.

Mallards and mergansers mingle in SJC retention pond.

From https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Hooded_Merganser/id#:

Adult male Hooded Mergansers are black above, with a white breast and rich chestnut flanks. The black head has a large white patch that varies in size when the crest is raised or lowered, but is always prominent. Females and immatures are gray and brown, with warm tawny-cinnamon tones on the head.

Male (left) and female (right) hooded mergansers. Image: All About Birds

The two male mergansers on the SJC pond had distinctive canvasback stripes, too.