Mergansers

Some of the earliest visitors back to the golf course each spring are the Common mergansers.  The male, on the left, is quite easy to see from a distance with a large portion of his body being white.  The female has a reddish head with some feathers that fan outwards.  They are fish-eaters and possess a serated bill giving them the nickname "Sawbills".  During the winter months they are like some of the golf course members in that they migrate south to where the rivers and lakes don't freeze.