First the male checked to make sure the female Wood Ducks were paying attention.
Then he moved back a little bit.
Look at me!
Of course I did.
No, it’s not mating season but I have seen quite a few male Wood Ducks
Wood Duck Showing Off
Category Archives: Duck
Two Male Wood Ducks
I don’t visit this little pond often. It’s a bit off the beaten path, a mosquito haven, and most wildlife I’ve spotted there has made a fast exit before I could take any pictures.
These two Wood Ducks made it worth my while on an afternoon walk last week.
They did make an exit, but it was rather slow, hardly making a ripple in the duckweed.
The moment I put my camera down they flew.
Wood Ducks on Branch
A pair of Wood Ducks was perched on a low branch over the duckweed covered pond on a recent drab day.
You can just make out a bit of blue feathers; it’s hard to tell if these are adult females or this year’s young starting to change.
I spotted a few others further out in the pond, maybe some of the ducklings I saw back in May.
Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks
These two Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks looks like they are in a field but this is actually a grass-choked pond / swamp so they were walking on a spongy surface.
They were alert to my presence and another nearby pair ducked down into the grass out of my sight.
These two kept bobbing up and down.
And kept an eye on the sky.
Wood Ducks
These two Wood Ducks were sunning on the end of an Alligator platform until I passed by.
Actually, there had been three; one had dropped into the water as I rounded the bend.
The other two seemed to be communicating…
… stay, or go?
The female made up her mind and jumped feet first into the pond.
The male made a showier exit…
and a delicate splash down.
Wood Duck Couple
A Wood Duck couple swam through the duck weed in a vegetation choked pond. This pair didn’t have any chicks in sight, perhaps a failed nest or their young have already succumbed to one of the many challenges nature presents.
Wood Duck Family With Turtle
Alligator ramps around the pond provide a fairly safe and dry spot for the Wood Duck ducklings to dry off and preen.
The Yellow-bellied Slider seemed oblivious to their occupation of his sunny spot.
Mama Wood Duck stayed in the water, patrolling for safety. Other times I have observed this there has been a Wood Duck drake nearby, also on alert, but I did not see one this time.
Wood Duck with Chicks Swimming Away
This family was up against the edge of the pond and I didn’t see them until mom had them underway.
I was hoping they would swim into a patch of sunshine.
They preferred a path through the shade.
That’s far enough!
Duck Fly By
Something overhead startled this flock of ducks into the air.
Camera at the ready, I waited for them to fly closer to me, but they headed towards the back of the pond.
They circled around a few times, settled back into the water, then did it all over again.
With at least one Eagle in the area these ducks weren’t interested in being lunch.
February 10, 2020
Donnelley Wildlife Management Area
Blue-winged Teal Vacuums
Blue-winged Teals often eat in circles, almost like a choreographed dance of vacuum cleaners. There was plenty of duckweed to go around on this day and the wind was keeping it concentrated in one side of the pond, keeping the ducks near the walking path.
The duck’s movements leaves trails in the duckweed, indistinguishable from a path made by an underwater Alligator.
These three female Teals stayed in a row for quite awhile, perhaps because there is safety in numbers.
When the light hits them just right the iridescence on the males’ heads is quite pretty.
