Artist: Sean Neilson

Long-tailed Ducks, formerly called Oldsquaws, congregate into groups of many hundreds of birds during the spring. They have a unique ‘a ah-ah-adala’ call which, when in chorus with hundreds of others, makes for a truly wild sound. These bird are flying just above the water to take advantage of a phenomenon of flight know as “ground effect”. Any bird (or aircraft for that matter) will enjoy greater lift when flying less than half of its wingspan, above the water or ground. For example, if these birds have a two foot wingspan, they can conserve energy by flying one foot off the water.