12/3/25
Note: You may find blog posts about the 2025/2026 migration of arctic ducks wintering on the Merrimack River in Lowell even more enjoyable if you have the book for reference. Click on the Buy tab to obtain a copy.
On this day, I counted 57 diving ducks on the Merrimack River between the Aiken and Bridge Street bridges, including 54 Common Goldeneyes and three Bufflehead females.
The group has remained tightly packed since the arrival of the four male vanguards on November 18. They spend their days foraging, resting, socializing, and maneuvering in a relatively confined area between River Place (the highrise) and the old Lawrence Mills (circa 1828).
As a group, they resemble a single organism. Sometimes they let the current take them towards area of the river adjacent to River Place. Then they turn around and commence with feeding as they paddle against the current. This is there daily ritual.
They’re quite animated as they forage and they work as a group. At times, most are underwater. At others, they undulate—some diving, some coming up from a dive, and some paddling against the current as they prepare for a dive.
The makeup of the group is predominantly female and proportionally similar to what I observed last January. Today, I observed 12 males, 43 females, and 3 Bufflehead females. Included are 3 juvenile males, and some of the females may also be juveniles. Male juveniles are easier to differentiate than females.
There are little social groups forming within the pack. Perhaps the groups will begin to break out soon like they did last winter. We shall soon see.