Gadwall
Mareca strepera
Gadwalls favor shallow ponds and marshy areas. They range across most of North America. Breeding mostly in the Great Plains, though they are permanent residents in several western states. Some spend winters well into Mexico. The range for birds is not limited to the Americas. They breed in the midlatitudes of Europe and Asia while wintering in southern Asia and northern Africa.
The male Gadwall may not be as “showy” as some other ducks, but their appearance is clean and economical. Population increases have resulted from the past quarter century’s attention to restoring wetlands and nesting habitat.
Though not always clearly visible, I try to look for a whitish patch at the back of their wings near their body. It is usually more prominent in the drakes than the hens. I’ve met these ducks in California, Oregon, Montana, Utah, Wyoming and Nevada.

Gadwall(Mareca strepera) |
Description: Imperial Beach, San Diego, California. |
Date Taken: 2013:01:31 15:34 |
Location:
Imperial Beach |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 |
File Name: D3X0981-Gadwall |
© 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |


Gadwall(Mareca strepera) |
Description: Pair at the Visitor Center on the north edge of Jackson, Wyoming. |
Date Taken: 2015:05:16 12:39 |
Location:
Jackson Visitor Center |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/1000 |
File Name: D3X2843-Gadwall |
© 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Gadwall(Mareca strepera) |
Description: Lee Metcalf NWR in the Bitterroot Valley near Stevensville, Montana. |
Date Taken: 2015:05:26 15:41 |
Location:
Lee Metcalf NWR |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/4000 |
File Name: D3X4944-Gadwall |
© 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Gadwall(Mareca strepera) |
Description: "The Ponds" adjacent to Beeler Creek. Poway California. San Diego County 2010-01-06. |
Date Taken: 2010:01:06 11:42 |
Location:
Poway Grove Park |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/750 |
File Name: JCD4964.Gadwall |
© 2010 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Gadwall(Mareca strepera) |
Description: San Diego River flood control channel. San Diego, California 2010-01-08. |
Date Taken: 2010:01:08 15:56 |
Location:
Robb Field |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/1500 |
File Name: JCD5852.Gadwall |
© 2010 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |


Gadwall(Mareca strepera) |
Description: Colusa NWR, near Williams, Northern California. |
Date Taken: 2003:12:18 15:18 |
Location:
Colusa |
Camera Information: NIKON D1X, 800 mm, f/6.3, 1/350 |
File Name: JCD_5356Gadwall |
© 2003 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |


Gadwall(Mareca strepera) |
Description: Colusa NWR, near Williams, Northern California. |
Date Taken: 2003:12:18 15:19 |
Location:
Colusa |
Camera Information: NIKON D1X, 800 mm, f/6.3, 1/320 |
File Name: JCD_5359Gadwall |
© 2003 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |


Gadwall(Mareca strepera) |
Description: Colusa NWR, near Williams, Northern California. |
Date Taken: 2003:12:18 15:19 |
Location:
Colusa |
Camera Information: NIKON D1X, 800 mm, f/6.3, 1/350 |
File Name: JCD_5363Gadwall |
© 2003 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |


Gadwall(Mareca strepera) |
Description: Colusa NWR, near Williams, Northern California. |
Date Taken: 2003:12:18 15:54 |
Location:
Colusa |
Camera Information: NIKON D1X, 800 mm, f/9.5, 1/400 |
File Name: JCD_5400Gadwall |
© 2003 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |


Gadwall(Mareca strepera) |
Description: Sacramento NWR, between Willows and Williams, California. |
Date Taken: 2011:12:31 11:04 |
Location:
Sacramento NWR |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/2000 |
File Name: D3X6282-Gadwall |
© 2011 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Gadwall(Mareca strepera) |
Description: San Diego River flood control channel. San Diego, California 2010-01-08. |
Date Taken: 2010:01:08 16:14 |
Location:
Robb Field |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 |
File Name: JCD5909.Gadwall |
© 2010 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |


Gadwall(Mareca strepera) |
Description: At the South San Diego Bay Saltworks in Chula Vista California. Part of the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge. |
Date Taken: 2017:05:17 9:55 |
Location:
Saltworks |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 550 mm, f/8.0, 1/4000 |
File Name: Gadwall_D5X1486 |
© 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Gadwall(Mareca strepera) |
Description: Juvenile bird at Malheur NWR in southeastern Oregon, west of Steens Mountains and south of Burns Oregon. Harney County. |
Date Taken: 2017:08:30 12:15 |
Location:
Malheur NWR |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: Gadwall-Juvenile_D5X9120-MalheurNWR |
© 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Gadwall(Mareca strepera) |
Description: Malheur NWR is in southeastern Oregon, west of Steens Mountains and south of Burns Oregon. Harney County. |
Date Taken: 2017:08:30 12:33 |
Location:
Malheur NWR |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/8000 |
File Name: Gadwall-Hen_D5X9263-MalheurNWR |
© 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Gadwall(Mareca strepera) |
Description: Malheur NWR is in southeastern Oregon, west of Steens Mountains and south of Burns Oregon. Harney County. |
Date Taken: 2017:08:30 12:25 |
Location:
Malheur NWR |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/8000 |
File Name: Gadwall-Hen_D5X9169-MalheurNWR |
© 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Gadwall(Mareca strepera) |
Description: Older chicks at Malheur NWR in southeastern Oregon, west of Steens Mountains and south of Burns Oregon. Harney County. |
Date Taken: 2017:08:30 12:02 |
Location:
Malheur NWR |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/10.0, 1/2500 |
File Name: Gadwall-Chicks_D5X9008-MalheurNWR |
© 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Gadwall(Mareca strepera) |
Description: (Anas strepera) Pair aptured on 2019-01-21 at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge near Willows California (USA). |
Date Taken: 2019:01:21 12:43 |
Location:
Sacramento NWR |
Camera Information: NIKON D500, 550 mm, f/8.0, 1/3200 |
File Name: Gadwall-Pair_D506510-Sacramento-NWR |
© 2019 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Gadwall(Mareca strepera) |
Description: (Anas strepera) Airborne capture on 2019-01-21 at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge near Willows California (USA). |
Date Taken: 2019:01:21 13:17 |
Location:
Sacramento NWR |
Camera Information: NIKON D500, 490 mm, f/8.0, 1/6400 |
File Name: Gadwall_D506763-Sacramento-NWR |
© 2019 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Gadwall(Mareca strepera) |
Description: At 6:15am I was the first guest at the preserve and I stayed until 12:30. Bird Viewing Preserve in Henderson, southern Nevada. |
Date Taken: 2020:11:09 11:48 |
Location:
Bird Viewing Preserve |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/8000 |
File Name: Gadwall_D5X8632-Henderson-BVP |
© 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |

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