Mr. C and I have had the same dentist for decades. We’ve moved and so has he. But like a good mechanic, a good dentist is worth hanging onto. So dental visits entail a bit of a hike. It was a sunny day, so I threw my camera in the trunk and headed out, hoping the sun would still be out when I was done at the dentist.
The park is a very citified park in suburban Detroit, mostly focused on playgrounds and sports fields. But the Rouge River runs through it, forming a sheltered pond in one area. Turns out that there was not one Wood Duck, but two pairs of drakes and hens. They and the Mallards and Canada Geese seemed accustomed to a certain amount of human activity, and were busy dabbling, preening and snoozing. I called my birding buddy, who lives about a half hour from there, knowing she’d love this chance to photograph these beauties at close range.
I became alarmed when several crews of city workers arrived, and started hauling fencing materials and backing up a dump truck full of dirt right next to the pond.
The pond is to the left, the playground in the background, and city workers all over. The ducks were in the corner of the pond with the white rocks, very close to the edge.
As I feared, the ducks and geese became unsettled and headed out further into the pond and upstream in the river. But the Wood Duck pairs stayed relatively close. Close enough that when my friend arrived, we were able to continue admiring these gorgeous birds.
This pair had been up on the shore, preening. They headed out after the human commotion got too close. Bigger
The drakes tend to steal the show. But the hens can hold their own. Admire her here!
This hen, despite her small size, had no trouble claiming her territory when the Mallards came too close. See her roar!
There’s nothing quite like a Wood Duck drake in breeding plumage, is there? Zoomed
NOW IT’S YOUR TURN. WHAT’S UP IN NATURE IN YOUR AREA?