Last updated: 12 July 2026

I kicked off this gallery after a few visits to the Limmat River in Zurich in August 2025; below are a few updates courtesy of sightings in Torun, Poland, in March 2026 and in Ljubljana, Slovenia, a month earlier. The female in the lead photo and those in the four photos in the first group below, all from Torun, illustrated their elegance especially well in a shallow pond in a local park.

These are all the Eurasian varieties, also referred to as Common Goosanders – the biggest difference between these and their North American cousins is the red of the male’s bill. Among the Eurasians, it’s blood red, as seen well in the first photo below, whereas in North America it’s a more orange red.

The females, with their 70s and 80s punk rock crests, are on the short list of my favorite ducks.

Torun, Poland – 19 March 2026

These were taken in the central Polish city’s Park Miejski, or City Park, which has two claims to fame: it is one of the oldest public city parks in Poland and was, prior to the First World War, the largest recreational area in West Prussia. [My birding report from three visits to the park is here.]

Ljubljana, Slovenia – 13 February 2026

From a mid-afternoon walk along the Sava River in the Slovenian capital’s Tacen area, a district in the northwest corner of the city (about eight kilometers from the city center). The Sava is Slovenia’s longest river and here lies in the shadow of Šmarna Gora (669m, 2,195 ft), the city’s highest hill. Tacen’s claim to fame is as a venue for canoe and kayak slalom competition, hosting major international competitions annually. (Related: here is a bird survey in the nesting season of the entire 258 km of Sava River in Slovenia – the first continuous survery of this kind.)

Zurich – 27 and 29 August, 2025

These Common Mergansers (Mergus merganser) were all snapped on the Limmat Vogelinsel, or ‘bird island’ (post here) in Zurich, but I saw several on the Zürichsee (Lake Zürich), too.

Common Merganser in brief (with assist from WordPress AI but double-checked by me at Birds of the World and Wikipedia):

• Size: 61-76 cm (24-30 inches) in length; wingspan up to 94 cm (37 inches).
• Diet: Primarily fish; also consumes insects, crustaceans, and other aquatic invertebrates.
• Habitat: Freshwater lakes and rivers; Coastal waters; Found in wooded or mountainous areas; Regions: North America, Europe, Asia
• Physical Description: Sleek body with a long neck; Males: green head, white breast, reddish sides; Females: mottled brown with a pale breast and reddish-brown head
• Breeding: Nests in tree cavities, underbrush, or on the ground; females typically lay 6-10 eggs, incubated for about 30 days.
• Conservation Status: Generally stable populations; threatened by habitat loss and pollution in some areas.
• Unique Behaviors: Known for their diving abilities, capable of diving over 30 feet (9 m) to catch prey.
• Range and Migration: Breeds in North America and parts of Europe and Asia; migrates to open water and coastal areas in winter, moving to southern regions during colder months.

More:

• Common Merganser at Birds of the World
• Common Merganser at BirdLife DataZone
• Common Merganser at eBird
• Common Merganser at Avibase
• Common Merganser at Wikipedia
• Common Merganser at iNaturalist
• Common Merganser at Oiseaux.net

Photos from 27 and 29 August 2025. Post last updated on 12 July 2026.