Friday’s Feathered Friends- Wood Duck

Posted in Birding in Nevada, Friday's Feathered Friends, Fuji X-T3, PhotographyTagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Copyright ©2021 Deborah M. Zajac. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

A couple of week ago I discovered a new park with a pond not far from home and this beautiful male Wood Duck was there among the mallards and geese.

Wood Duck Male

I heard there was a female there too but, I never saw her. She too is quite striking and pretty. Here’s an image I made last year along the river of a female Wood Duck checking out a tree for a nesting spot I thought as they nest in holes in trees or if available a nesting box. They have claws that can grip bark so they can perch on branches.

The Wood Duck is one of the prettiest ducks of all the waterfowl.

Fun facts:

  • Natural cavities for nesting are scarce, and the Wood Duck readily uses nest boxes provided for it. If nest boxes are placed too close together, many females lay eggs in the nests of other females.
  • Wood Ducks pair up in January, and most birds arriving at the breeding grounds in the spring are already paired. The Wood Duck is the only North American duck that regularly produces two broods in one year.
  • The Wood Duck nests in trees near water, sometimes directly over water, but other times over a mile away. After hatching, the ducklings jump down from the nest tree and make their way to water. The mother calls them to her, but does not help them in any way. The ducklings may jump from heights of over 50 feet without injury.
  • The oldest recorded Wood Duck was a male and at least 22 years, 6 months old. He had been banded in Oregon and was found in California.

We got a good snow dump during the night and early morning hours on Tuesday. It made everything so pretty! As I write this (Thursday) we’re supposed to get more snow today. #1 Grandson will be celebrating his 9th year on this planet next week. I hope we can get over the mountains to see him to help him celebrate. 9 years old! Time is flying by.

What are you doing this week-end, anything good? Have you finished your holiday shopping?

Fuji X-T3| Fujinon 100-400mm| PS CC 23.0.0

more to come…

52 thoughts on “Friday’s Feathered Friends- Wood Duck”

  5. Pingback: Friday’s Feathered Friends- Wood Duck – Sanders Story Photography
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  8. Absolutely stunning capture of the male, Deborah, WOW! I’ve photographed this duck but never have I gotten a shot as gorgeous as yours. The mirror waters is such an awesome added bonus! Yay, snow covering, it does always look so pretty when it is fresh. I hope your plans to go to celebrate your grandson’s birthday next week aren’t thwarted with it, though. This weekend for me is grandsons’ weekend! We picked up grandsons #1 and #2 noonish yesterday for them to spend the weekend with us for our Christmas magic and fun before the big day. Grandson #3 comes tomorrow morning early to join in tomorrow’s fun. Right now, #1 and #2 are on their tablets, lol, while I try to catch up on email and a few blogs. hehehe 😉

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    1. Thank you so much, Donna! That’s high praise coming from you I’ll float for the whole day on your compliment!

      How wonderful that you are having some time with your Grandsons!! I hope you have a wonderful visit and a Merry Christmas! 🥰

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      1. They all left late Sunday and I am still recuperating! LMAO Oh, but boy did we all have fun and make wonderful messes that I didn’t even mind cleaning up. Grandchildren are the best. 🥰 Have fun at yours’ birthday party and visit this week!

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  13. A fabulous capture, Deborah! The colours of water add vibrancy and a great background for the Wood Duck. Vancouver has a snow storm warning now, so everyone with a cell phone will be out taking photos before it melts away. All the very best of this festive season to you and yours.

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  21. Oh, I love ducks in general and wood ducks are supreme! I so seldom see them so this is a treat. I notice there is a wood duck box at the shore of the lake we now live by, so fingers crossed!
    Shopping done, now for the greenery and flowers!

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    1. I hope a pair of Wood Ducks finds that nesting box!! They should start pairing up soon. I need to go back to the pond and see if the Wood Duck is still there or if they were just passing through. It’s sunny today or supposed to be so, today is the day to do that.

      You’re ahead of the game with your shopping done! I only have my Mom and Step-Dad left to shop for and I’m stuck on indecision with that. I hope an idea comes to me soon or I’ll miss the shipping date to get it there on time!

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      1. Do they have a favorite cause? Maybe they’d like a donation to that cause. I’m glad you got some snow. I agree, it is pretty. Here we have been warm and snow-free, a condition I am very happy with! 🙂

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          1. It is amazing~I go out barefoot in the morning to take the puppy out. This morning the ground is chilly and the air is warm so mists are rising from the lake. Love it.

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            2. :). I’ve tried to figure out how to do that here in the comments and can’t seem to, so I’ll have to share some in a post one of these days.

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  23. That is a beautiful photo (and subject(. I still can’t believe #1 grandson is 9. That’s impossible. Enjoy the snow, but I hope enough gets cleared for you to make it over the mountains and through the woods.

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    1. Thank you so much, Dan! Haha! Now I’m singing in my head, “over the mountains and through the woods to Grandson’s house we go!!!”. We hardly got any snow yesterday and the forecast looks partly cloudy and sunny for a few days so, we should be able to get there for the party and get home again.

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