Face it, mallards are boring. And Canada geese — well, let’s not step in that subject.

Wildlife watching along the Boise River and the Greenbelt doesn’t have to be as mundane as geese and mallards.

Winter is the time when the river is home to some of the goofiest-looking ducks — with buzz haircuts, saw-like beaks and strange golden eyes.

These ducks are referred to as divers, and the main reason they are seen along the Boise River this time of year, rather than in spring and summer, is that the river provides an excellent winter feeding area.

“When winter comes along, all they need is good foraging habitat (places with fish that won’t freeze over),” said Colleen Moulton, avian ecologist with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. “The Boise River fills that need.”

The Boise River doesn’t provide good breeding habitat for divers, and they move on in spring and summer for other areas.

But dabbling ducks, like mallards, remain along the Boise River year-round because they use the river’s wetlands for breeding in the spring but also stay here in the winter.

So a winter wildlife watching stroll along many parts of the Greenbelt will yield glimpses of goofy ducks such as hooded mergansers, common mergansers, goldeneyes and buffleheads.

Here are some of the hot spots I’ve found this winter:

JOE’S CRAB SHACK

Take off from the Main Street Bridge down the south side of the Boise River along the Greenbelt past Joe’s Crab Shack.

There’s usually a concentration of ducks and geese in the pool above the diversion dam that is under construction.

Go .4 miles down the river and back upstream.

You might also see bald eagles in this area. They often perch in the trees on the opposite side of the river from the restaurant.

A great blue heron also hangs out in the area.

TRESTLE VIEW

The old railroad trestle across the Boise River east and upstream from the Connector is a good spot for watching mergansers and other divers.

What’s neat is that you can watch them from the bridge and get a different view of them diving, swimming under water and resurfacing. I once saw a merganser with a fish in its mouth while watching from the bridge.

ANN MORRISON FOOTBRIDGE

The slack-water stretch of the Boise River from the footbridge at Ann Morrison Park to the railroad footbridge at Ninth Street holds a lot of waterfowl in the winter.

You can start at the footbridge at Ann Morrison Park, hike east on the north side of the river to the Ninth Street footbridge and then back west on the south side of the river to the Ann Morrison Park footbridge.

It’s a round trip of about 1.2 miles.

BETHINE CHURCH TRAIL

The Bethine Church River Trail, which starts on the south side of the river near the Cottonwood Apartments near ParkCenter, is another good duck-watching area.

It’s a 1.6-mile unpaved trail that winds through a 24-acre natural area between the East ParkCenter Bridge and the Cottonwood Apartments.

BARBER PARK

The park is a good jumping off point for a nature hike by walking west or downstream on the south side of the river.

This area is known for spotting bald eagles.

It also has a variety of ducks in the slack water above the first diversion downstream.

Pete Zimowsky: 377-6445