Ducky Drama

This winter I've been making the rounds to some local nature areas, both to get a little exercise and photograph whatever wildlife I find.  One of the places I frequented often had a flock of wood ducks swimming in the water.  Wood duck males are very photogenic - their heads a brightly colored mix of greens with an orange bill and unusual red eyes.  

"Did you hear the gossip about Quackly?"

On a recent visit, I was lucky enough to see a sizeable flock of these lovely ducks.  Not only were the ducks in abundance, I was also able to capture some of their antics.

"My love, you are the only woman for me"

Pairs of male and female wood ducks swam around together, often posing for my camera.  After downloading and editing a few images, I'm posting them here for you to enjoy, along with a few funny captions.

"And another thing...."

After the argument

"Look at meeee!"

Duck fight!

It was mating season and every once and awhile a couple of males would get into a fight.  I'm assuming it was over a female (no matter the species, men always fight over women!)

Chasing away his challenger

The two males would race around the pond, chasing after each other.  Lots of flapping and splashing ensued.  The ducks were so fast it was difficult to capture photos of the drama.  But I did manage to get a couple of images I liked.

The victorious male

As I was walking back to my car, I spied a great blue heron nearby.  Just as I was focusing on the bird, it spread it's wings and took off.  And lucky me, one of my images captured the moment of liftoff.

We have liftoff!

I hope you enjoy this "ducky" post!