Paddling along on a Maine pond, this Hooded Merganser landed in the water no more than fifteen feet away from the artist. It was as if he were deliberately posing for a portrait. A small fish-eating duck of wooded ponds, the Hooded Merganser nests in holes in trees. It is frequently seen on shallow waters where its only waterfowl companion is the Wood Duck. The Hooded Merganser finds its prey underwater by sight. The merganser can actually change the refractive properties of its eyes to enhance its underwater vision. Their breeding habitat is swamps and wooded ponds on the northern half of the United States or southern Canada.

B.L. Ander has a love for bird art, spending a great deal of time studying birds in the wild as well as in bird sanctuaries. His limited edition bird art collection is dedicated to our winged neighbors. When still a young child, B.L. Ander spent countless hours studying and duplicating the watercolors of John James Audubon, which was the beginning of a life-long tendency toward bird art. He enjoys the challenges of creating realism art in various mediums.