How much wood could a Wood Duck duck?
How much wood could a Wood Duck duck if a Wood Duck could duck wood? I have no idea but nor are these the “right words”. So close, though, and “duck” even rhymes with “chuck”!
Regardless of butchered Mother Goose nursery rhymes, I am blessed with a short-term phenomenon here in Littleton, Colorado that happens once a year in October. It’s the appearance of the Wood Ducks, a seemingly annual event that covers most of the month time and time again. They make a brief appearance in April, leave, return in October, and then leave again only to repeat the cycle the following year.
Wood Ducks themselves are a beautiful sight to behold as you shall see, but what really sets them apart here is the crazy fall reflections in the lake they appear at get from the ring of deciduous trees that change colors at the same time the wood ducks arrive.
(Note: all images can be expanded by clicking on them)
As is often the case in the bird world, it is the male that gets blessed with those vivid green and purple iridescent colors, which helps him to attract a mate (yet somehow wearing green and purple together rarely works for humans – go figure!). They will often preen each other like below or just hang out together.
There is a crabapple tree next to the lake and when those apples drop to the ground the wood ducks waddle over for a snack or just pluck them from the lake itself. They never fly to their food but occasionally will make a short flight back to the lake which is a good time to photograph them in flight.
In all the images below, the Wood Ducks came out of the water to get dropped crabapples and then flew back to the water.
Wood Ducks are “THE show” 99% of the time if they are present. But every once in a while, another bird decides to get in the act so to speak as this mallard couple did on more than once occasion. It’s not the mating season but that didn’t stop this couple from, uh, enjoying themselves. Hey, who are we to judge, amirite? (And, yes, that is how they perform the mating act)
A Mallard couple got into “the act” on more than one occasion
To close out this post, I will tell you that the wood ducks indeed left at the end of October. They are now being replaced by Hooded Mergansers and Buffleheads, beautiful ducks in their own right. But no other waterfowl can measure up in my opinion.
And, rather amazingly, my favorite shot of the season is this very last shot I got on the last day I saw them this year – a Wood Duck leaving the lake to roost elsewhere and likely leaving until next April.
Male Wood Duck glides low over lake at golden hour with reflections.