The sun was going down behind me as I looped back by the pond where I had photographed the Mottled Duck pair and Tricolored Heron.
I took some landscape images and then realized the ducks and heron were still there, in the tall grass.
The Tricolored Heron started working his way back out into the open.
And the ducks followed him.
The heron continued to wade and the ducks swam behind, all in a row.
This pair of Mottled Ducks was swimming in and out of patches of late afternoon sun on a shallow pond.
I stopped at a bench at the edge of the pond and they watched me as I watched them.
Baily Tract, Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Florida
January 6, 2020
I used the Merlin App to identify these as Mottled Ducks. Further reading at Cornell’s All About Birds:
It’s reminiscent of a female Mallard or an American Black Duck, but this is the closely related Mottled Duck. They’re so closely related that hybridization, especially with Mallards, poses a real threat to the Mottled Duck’s future.
In Florida, hybridization with introduced Mallards has produced many so-called “Muddled Ducks,” and care is needed to confirm identification of a “pure” Mottled Duck.
Ducks have been showing up around the various ponds I frequent and I was hoping for some decent in-flight views. The ducks had other ideas this day and kept their flight patterns close to the marsh grass.
A Great Blue Heron was a little more obliging as he winged past me.
Yesterday was the first time I’ve seen more than two or three Wood Ducks together since last spring’s ducklings matured earlier in the summer.
Several were lined up on an Alligator ramp as I approached and a few small groups were paddling around in the pond. They tend to be skittish and their general direction was away from me, but a couple more flew onto the ramp.
I heard a Hawk call in the distance and these two groups and about twenty more that I didn’t even know were there in the tree line along my path flew off in a frenzy. Sadly, no photos of that!
I’ve stopped to watch Black-bellied Whistling Ducks in this marshy area several times this summer. One day last week a few were quite close to the walk way and were less skittish than on previous visits.
Some of the chicks are nearly adult size but are still sticking close to a parent.
This one had been standing on the end of the of the walkway and decided to join the others…
…landing in the short greenery with the family group behind him.
There were several pairs of Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks around the edges of a pond, mostly tucked into the vegetation. Neither one of this pair moved a bit after I spotted them.
From another direction this pair took flight towards another connected pond, showing off more of their striking colors.
Shortly after the nice surprise of seeing a Wood Duck with two ducklings on Sunday I came upon this one with eight ducklings.
They were paddling along all together in a tight group at first but eventually spread out enough for me to count them.
They followed the pond to the corner then did an about face and headed back the way they came, sticking pretty close to mom. The water was reflecting the dead brown grass on the bank so this image isn’t that pretty, but you can see each duckling distinctly.
Swimming through a bountiful feast of duck weed a mother Wood Duck ushered her two ducklings along without any snacking.
Turns out they were headed for a dry spot for some personal grooming and rest.
Wait for me!
These ducklings and their Wood Duck mom were exploring the middle of the pond, back and forth.
Mom was working hard keeping track of her charges. A male Wood Duck was nearby but didn’t appear to be helping with the minute to minute supervision.
When they finally spread out a bit I counted 18 ducklings!
Small, compact and swimming at a steady pace, I thought this was a Grebe at first when I caught a glimpse through the reeds.
I was able to get to a gap in the reeds for a better view and discovered it was a female Bufflehead. I listened and looked on both sides of the marsh dike where I was walking and didn’t see any others.
