Return to Main Page   Dakota Birder Blog    

Lesser Scaup Photos

Photography by Terry Sohl

My Favorite: Just your run-of-the-mill duck photo,  but my favorite I have of Lesser Scaup.  It was taken on a gloomy day on March 26th, 2017 at Dewey Gevik Nature Area near Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  It was the end of a long winter...not so much in terms of bad weather (the winter was quite mild that year), but in terms of photography! I'd had very little luck getting good photos all winter long, and I wasn't expecting much when I headed out on this gloomy day.  However, some time at the permanent blind at Dewey Gevik Nature Area can do wonders for your mood...and for filling up your hard drive with waterfowl photos.  The light certainly wasn't good on this day, but I do like the photo of this male Lesser Scaup, just after he came up from a dive, with beads of water still dripping off of his head.  I also like that despite the gloom, the light was enough to give you a bit of that greenish tinge to the otherwise black head.

Lesser Scaup - Aythya affinis 

Lesser Scaup 1 - Aythya affinis Lesser Scaup 2 - Aythya affinis Lesser Scaup 3 - Aythya affinis Lesser Scaup 4 - Aythya affinis 

Lesser Scaup 1

Lesser Scaup 2

Lesser Scaup 3

Lesser Scaup 4

April 11th, 2010

April 8th, 2007

April 11th, 2010

April 22nd, 2019

Dewey Gevik Nature Area, South Dakota

Atkin's Slough, near Tea, South Dakota

Dewey Gevik Nature Area, South Dakota

Western Minnehaha County, South Dakota

Drake bird on calm morning with reflection

Small group of scaup on rippled water

Drake bird with reflection on calm morning

Two males and one female in flight against clear sky

Lesser Scaup 5 - Aythya affinis 

Lesser Scaup 6 - Aythya affinis

Lesser Scaup 7 - Aythya affinis

Lesser Scaup 8 - Aythya affinis

Lesser Scaup 5

Lesser Scaup 6

Lesser Scaup 7

Lesser Scaup 8

March 26th, 2017

March 26th, 2006

May 1st, 2009

April 1st, 2012

Dewey Gevik Nature Area, South Dakota

Lake Vermillion, South Dakota

Lake Thompson, South Dakota

Dewey Gevik Nature Area, South Dakota

Profile of drake on cloudy day

Male taking flight from choppy waters

Side view of male swimming on rippled water

Female spreading her wings on rippled water

Lesser Scaup 9 - Aythya affinis

Lesser Scaup 10 - Aythya affinis

Lesser Scaup 11 - Aythya affinis 

Lesser Scaup 12 - Aythya affinis

Lesser Scaup 9

Lesser Scaup 10

Lesser Scaup 11

Lesser Scaup 12

April 22nd, 2012

April 22nd, 2012

April 4th, 2020

March 26th, 2017

Near Tea, South Dakota

Near Tea, South Dakota

Western Minnehaha County, South Dakota

Western Minnehaha County, South Dakota

Profile of female scaup in warm evening light

Profile of drake scaup on a sunny day

Head-on view of a drake Lesser scaup showing diagnostic bill tip

Profile of male bird on cloudy, gloomy day

Lesser Scaup 13 - Aythya affinis

Lesser Scaup 13

March 26th, 2017

Western Minnehaha County, South Dakota

Profile of swimming female scaup

Click here for the species description page for the Lesser Scaup

All photos copyrighted!  Click for information on commerical usage, or usage for other personal purposes.

Nature Photography - Done Naturally - Click for info

 Use the following Google dialogue to search this South Dakota Birds and Birding site:
Custom Search

SOUTH DAKOTA BIRDS AND BIRDING - LOCATIONS OF WEBSITE VISITORS

Please mail any comments/suggestions/additional links for this page to: Terry L. Sohl