Lesser Scaup (female) Aythya affinis Andrew Haydon Park, Ottawa, Ontario 16 November 2008 Members of the Aythya genus are divers, and normally are found in deeper waters, further offshore than the more typical dabbling ducks.  Large rafts of these species can be found on the Ottawa River, especially in Lake Deschênes, where the river widens to become a slow-moving lake.  More often than not, I have only ever seen these species from a distance, with the aid of binoculars or if I'm lucky enough to find a fellow birder with a sighting scope. However, on this particular overcast day, I found a female lesser scaup taking a nap onshore with a flock of mallards.  If it wasn't for her telltale white patch at the base of the beak, I probably would have mistook her for another sleeping mallard and moved on.

Cackling Goose "Richardson's" subspecies Branta hutchinsii hutchinsii Andrew Haydon Park, Ottawa, Ontario 2 November 2008

Cackling Goose "Richardson's" subspecies Branta hutchinsii hutchinsii Andrew Haydon Park, Ottawa, Ontario 2 November 2008 The cackling goose was originally considered a subspecies of the Canada goose, but eventually reached specieshood rather recently.  Although visually it is very similar to the Canada goose, it is much smaller, approximately mallard-sized as compared to a regular Canada goose.  Make special note of the small head and stubby beak. Cackling geese breed in the Arctic, and are more popular on the western half of North America, but during every waterfowl migration cackling geese are spotted mixed with the enormous flocks of Canada geese.  This goose, however, would not associate with any other bird, preferring to be on its own despite the multitudes of Canada geese massing on the Ottawa River off-camera.