A quartet of Wood Ducks casually paddled away from me on a recent cloudy afternoon.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
October 11, 2026
Wood Ducks In a Row
Category Archives: Duck
Black-bellied Whistling Duck Circling In The Fog
A few Black-bellied Whistling Ducks were circling around individually over the old rice field as the fog rolled by. I had several opportunities with one flying right in front of me.
Their flights seemed random and the ducks didn’t seem alarmed, just indecisive.
A few days later another photographer saw some newly hatched ducklings in this area.
Maybe this was inpatient parents-to-be getting some exercise.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
October 16, 2026
Wood Duck Ducklings
Wood Duck ducklings paddling in the duck weed.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
May 4, 2026
Silent Sunday: Mother
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
May 4, 2026
Wood Duck, Late Afternoon Sun
Wood Ducks that I’ve encountered tend to be pretty skittish, and often fly before you hardly know they are there. This one surprised me with a gentle flap then he settled back down and paddled along, studiously avoiding getting his head in the sun patch.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
November 16, 2025
Black-bellied Whistling Duck Family
When we topped the hill heading towards the dike these ducks looked like a fallen branch or maybe a sunbathing Alligator like we’ve seen before.
One of the adults was watchful in the direction they were sort of heading.
I suspect the youngsters cannot yet fly. As we approached they finally moved off the road and down a small bank towards water. One of the adults did a fly-hop part way, but the juveniles didn’t even try.
They jumped into the pond and swam to a hummock where they huddled up for safety. There are several Eagles in the area that I expect this crew has seen up close.
Donnelley Wildlife Management Area, SC
November 23, 2025
Wood Duck Pair, Late Afternoon Glow
I tried Ted’s (tpjphoto.net) OM System OM 1 Mark II camera with the OM System 100-400mm lens yesterday. He’s been using the OM 1 original and the Mark II bodies for a couple of years with great results and is a real fan of the reduced weight. (I’m not sure if Olympus turned OM could have come up with a worse name for these cameras.)
I’ve stuck with Canon, but have started to notice a decrease in quality of my images and questioned if it was me or the gear.
This pair of Wood Ducks crisscrossed a patch of water that was lit by the late afternoon sun reflecting off some golden trees. I was pretty impressed, and yes, new gear is coming my way.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
November 16, 2025
Black-bellied Whistling Duck Pair
This pair of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks found a cozy spot at Magnolia Cemetery.
Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, SC
May 31. 2025
Female Mallard with Duckling
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
April 4, 2025
Mallard Pair At The Swamp
This Mallard popped into a patch of sunshine, highlighting his shimmery green head.
Of course he and the Mrs. weren’t keep on me watching.
They swam a little further away then both turned for a nicer shot.
It’s amazing how the iridescent color changes with the light, looking more blackish than green at this angle.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
March 1, 2025