Wood Duck Female With Chicks photos by Larry Jordan
I spotted this female Wood Duck with her chicks last week in a slough that runs through the golf course where I play. Wood Ducks are notoriously skiddish in the wild and I have never been able to get a decent photograph of them but this mom with her chicks couldn’t go too far in this narrow waterway and I got a couple of shots before she hurried them away.
Wood Ducks are cavity nesters. Yup. Bringing this species back from what many ornithologists believed to be near extinction in the early 20th century is one of our greatest conservation success stories. Thanks to the Migratory Bird Act of 1918, and a vigorous nest box program, the Wood Duck has regained its prior numbers in North America and is flourishing.
You will find some great Wood Duck photos of the adult male and female on a prevous post here, and a nest box plan for the Wood Duck on my resource page here. But, you have to watch this two minute video on the first flight of the chicks. If this doesn’t make you smile, nothing will 😉
Make sure you check out the other great bird photos at Bird Photography Weekly!
Comments on this entry are closed.
Lost my comment. I was saying that we didn’t have any wood duck broods this year but another great resource for wood ducks is the wood duck society that I belong to. They also have nesting box plans and the all important predator cone guard…Michelle
Great photos and the video is wonderful. I am really interested that your Wood Ducks are quite different looking from ours out here in Australia but they have the same habits when nesting.
.-= Mick´s last blog ..Brahminy Kite =-.
Baby birds are always so cute. Do you find the wood ducks on the golf course are less skittish around people than those in the wild?
.-= Wren´s last blog ..Bird Photography Weekly: Mourning Dove & Nestling =-.
Great photos and an amazing video. I think ducklings would rank very highly in the cutest rankings.
Our Australian Wood Ducks (quite a different looking species) also nest in hollows far above the water and sometimes far from water. I have seen video footage of the latter where the ducklings hit the ground and bounce several feet into the air before racing off after mother, none the worse for the experience. Amazingly tough little critters.
.-= Trevor Hampel´s last blog ..Some simple bird photography rules =-.
Lovely shots, Larry! The video is awesome!
.-= bob k´s last blog ..The Grackle =-.
Great photos and info! thanks for including the amazing video!
I smile when I think of those cute little balls of fluff..diving out of their nest hole and into the water..and they pop right up!
So cute!
.-= Dawn Fine´s last blog ..Dawns Blogaholic Weekly Reader.. =-.
They’re lovely.
I love baby ducks and that video was so interesting!
.-= Eve´s last blog ..Spotted Owls at the High Desert Museum =-.
Oh my gosh!!! That is one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen. Watching those little ducklings take the plunge melted my heart! I loved your photos as well. I’ve never gotten a good shot of one either. They are gorgeous…
.-= Kelly´s last blog ..Male Bobolink starting to molt into his non-breeding Classic plumage =-.
WOW! What wonderful captures on the clip! I watched it a few times and must compliment the duck for a great choice of nest site over the water. So many ducklings die when jumping onto land from 20′ .
.-= Arija´s last blog ..BIRDPHOTOGRAPHY WEEKLY ~ 18 and WATERY WEDNESDAY ~ 10 =-.
Whoa! Those ducklings are a lot braver than I am. Respect! :-))
.-= gwendolen´s last blog ..Aigrette garzette =-.
One of my most favorite ducks. Beautiful photos of these creatures and love the video.
.-= MaineBirder´s last blog ..Trip report part 2: Moose =-.