Undecided, this Wood Duck drake paced on top of the nesting box. Were there hatchlings inside about to pop out? Was he waiting for a mate? Questions I never got the answers to.
Eventually he took a plunge off the side.
Splash down!
A short paddle took him back to the box. He spent some time contemplating his next move under the protection of some overhanging branches.
Mama Wood Duck and her brood posed for a family portrait on one of the new alligator ramps installed around the rice field. I counted fourteen chicks while they were sitting still, but some were snoozing with their heads down so there may have been more. All About Birds says their clutch can have up to sixteen eggs.
A Common Gallinule was doing his best to photo bomb the portrait, paddling along behind them. I waited, hoping he would move along.
He did, but Mama felt it was time to move on, too, and they all bailed off in one fluid motion off the side of the ramp away from me.
This pair of Northern Shovelers was sticking together as they worked the pond in the early morning light. They were one of only a few water birds in the area that was patrolled by at least two pairs of Bald Eagles making them easy targets.
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Florida, 2/21/2018.
Well, what else do they have to do? When they aren’t eating ducks often swim around, and perhaps the female was testing to see if the male would follow. He did.
This Wood Duck pair went back and forth in front of me several times, never quite making it into the sun patch closer to me before they disappeared with the Teals around the corner.
Mallards doing the Mallard bath in a pond, as can be seen throughout most of the United Sates and Canada. We rarely see Mallards in the other ponds we visit, but Magnolia Cemetery is more of an urban location where you would expect them to congregate.
The sun was perfect on this early February afternoon and the Mallards were enjoying an unseasonably warm day.
After bathing they had a dead tree trunk to perch on, out of the water and with a good view of potential hazards. This pond does host a few Alligators, I have seen fox on the cemetery grounds, and a few Red-shouldered Hawks could be heard nearby.
Click any image for larger view.
The Hooded Mergansers tend to be shy and I usually see them retreating shortly after I spot them. I happened to be sitting on a low wall watching a pond when these two swam by me, close enough to get a shot.
The brown reeds and grasses of late winter made a golden glow on the water, a nice complement to these gorgeous ducks. The male is certainly flashier, especially when he has his hood up, but the female is an understated beauty.
2/5/2018
This pair of Blue-winged Teals was flying low over a pond, parallel to the road where I was standing, giving me a nice view.
This Northern Pintail pair was higher off the ground but headed in the same direction just a few minutes later.
Northern Pintail Pair in Flight
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Florida.
Three Ring-necked Ducks were paddling along an impoundment at Vierra Wetlands in the late afternoon. Yes, the ring is hard to see. A quick read at Cornell’s All About Birds reveals that the name was provided by 19th century biologists who were examining dead specimens so had a different view of the chestnut collar than those of us observing the bird in the field.
“Golden Eye” would have fit for a name, but might already have been spoken for at the time. Or a name that described the white outlined beak. No matter the name he is quite a pretty bird.
The male duck was accompanied by a female and a juvenile that didn’t venture far from each other.
Vierra Wetlands, Brevard County, Florida, 1/27/2018
There are small numbers of Teals, mostly Blue-winged, at the pond and there is plenty of duck weed to keep them fed. This pair decided to try the other end of the pond and took a low flight to get there.
Blue-winged TealsThe white line on the far shoreline is ice, the final remnant of our snow storm and cold snap.
1/10/2018
There is no mistaking the shape of a male Wood Duck and it’s always a treat to see them close enough to see their colors.
This pair was hanging around with a small group of Blue Winged Teals, paddling around the edge of a small pond.
There is a walking trail that loops along both sides of this pond and the ducks gradually work their way from side to side, not in any great hurry, but changing direction as people pass by.
Click on any photo for larger view.
