Ducks: Part IV

Last of the Ducks:

Surf Scoter

White Winged Scoter

Wood Duck Male and Female

Wood Duck Male

Winter Wildlife Photos: Wood Duck

Continuing my series on Winter Wildlife Photos we have the Wood Duck. 

I was traveling in Eastern Oregon with a stop at Mahleur National Wildlife Refuge. This refuge is not know for its abundant "winter wildlife," so I was pleasantly surprised to find this Wood Duck in a small creek. He certainly seemed out of place:

Birding Green Valley

Yesterday, I headed south looking specifically for the Rufous Capped Warbler at Pena Blanca Lake, the Sinaloa Wren on the Juan Bautista de Anza Trail, and the Pacific Loon in Green Valley.

As can often be the case, no luck on those, although I did get the Pacific Loon at the Amado STP. Unfortunately, you can only view from the west so the morning light is terrible. Add the problem of not being able to get close because of the fence and the photos didn't turn out very well. I'll include one to let you see what I mean.

However, as is often the case, I did come back with some other photos. While there wasn't the Pacific Loon on the Golf Course pond in Green Valley there were 10-15 Canvasbacks and one beautiful male Wood Duck. I was there first thing in the morning (36 degrees) and with the mist coming off the lake got some wonderful shots.

Canvasbacks

Great Egret

Great Egret

Great Blue Heron

Wood Duck

Wood Duck

Lark Sparrow in a Mesquite Tree by the pond

Pacific Loon at Amado STP

Wood Duck - III Not quite 5 Stars

Here is an example of a photo that would have been "5" Stars had it turned out clearer. It was an early photo, early 1990's, with a cheap camera.  I like it because it shows a group of male and female Wood Ducks sitting on a downed branch over a pond nearly McNary Dam in Northeast Oregon, just below the Columbia River. Wish it had turned out better. I have found many Wood Ducks since and taken some nice photos of them, but never come across something like this one again. Such it is with Wildlife photography.

Male and Female Wood Ducks

Wood Duck - II

Here's another "5" Star Wood Duck photo taken on a pond at Fort Lowell Park in Tucson:

Wood Duck

Wood Duck - I

Next up, the Wood Duck. The WD is an uncommon duck usually found on sheltered ponds or swamps where there are ample trees and vegetation. Unlike other ducks it nests in tree cavities. This photo comes from Christopher Columbus Lake in Tucson and shows its breeding plumage:

Wood Duck

Wood Duck at Christopher Columbus Park

The quick stop at Christopher Columbus Lake in Tucson, proved unusually successful. There were the usual picnickers and fisher people, they was a huge group of remote controlled flying machines. My first impression was would there be any wildlife or did they seek something more peaceful and remote. 

The short answer is that I found what I was looking for within 5 seconds of beginning my search. The small pond west of the lake had a beautiful Wood Duck. As soon as he saw me he started moving toward me. I suspect that he was hoping to be fed. 

So, a couple of photos later, I was out of there.

Here are the photos:

Wood Duck

Wood Duck

Birders: Don't Neglect the Municipal Parks -- Part II

Seldom will you see bear, moose, etc. in Municipal Parks -- well, outside of Alaska that is. However, birds are a different story. Often these parks have a small pond or lake. That makes for an attractive site for birds and birding. I try to go a daybreak during the week when there are less people, children, dogs, etc. It is still not exactly wilderness because if the lake is stocked, there will be people fishing as was the case at Columbus Lake (Wednesday's Post).

This morning I made the rounds starting at Fort Lowell Park, then Lincoln Park, and then Lakeside Park; all are within 15 minutes of us. I had heard that a Wood Duck had been seen at Fort Lowell Park so I thought that would be the place to start. Well, in short he was. And, he seemed perfectly willing to let me photograph him. Here are the photos from Fort Lowell Park:

A Vermillion Flycatcher greeted me on my arrival

Then the Wood Duck

Here the Wood Duck on land

Great Tailed Grackle Male

Great Tailed Grackle Female

National Wildlife Refuges

McNary National Wildlife Refuge, Washington, 1955

The McNary National Wildlife Refuge is a welcomed respite for migratory birds, native plants, and human visitors alike. Extending along the east bank of the Columbia River in southeastern Washington, from the confluence of the Snake River to the mouth of the Walla Walla River, and downstream into Oregon, the McNary NWR is located in rural Burbank, but very close to the rapid development of the Tri-Cities (Kennewick, Pasco and Richland).

Established in 1955, the McNary NWR was created to replace wildlife habitat lost to construction of the McNary Dam downstream. The 15,000 acres of sloughs, ponds, streams and islands—riparian and wetland habitat—as well as upland shrub-steppe and cliff-talus habitat are important to migratory waterfowl, shorebirds and songbirds. Few areas in North America support such dense concentrations of waterfowl; more than half the mallards in the Pacific Flyway overwinter at some time in this portion of the Columbia River Basin.

The refuge is particularly important to Canada geese, mallards and wigeons, as well as shorebirds and wading birds. Other waterfowl species using the refuge include green-winged teal, shoveler, canvasback, ring-necked duck, and lesser scaup duck. Rare, endangered and "Federal Species of Concern" birds, including bald eagles and peregrine falcons, are found here, as are thousands of colonial nesting water birds using river islands for safe nesting.

McNary is another of those NWR that I breezed by while traveling. I didn't spend nearly enough time there. I did hike around the slough and got some nice Wood Duck photos which have been rare for me. So, that was pleasing. But I haven't had a chance to get back there since my only visit in 1993.

Northern Shoveler

Wood Duck

Wood Ducks

National Wildlife Refuges

Mahleur National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon, 1908

One of the crown jewels of the National Wildlife Refuge System, Malheur National Wildlife Refuge protects 187,000 acres of wetlands in southeastern Oregon's high desert. It is adjacent to the Steens Mountain Wilderness, with the Wild and Scenic Donner and Blitzen River flowing into the refuge at its southern boundary.

The refuge is famous for its tremendous diversity and spectacular concentrations of wildlife. Boasting over 320 bird species and 58 mammal species, Malheur is a mecca for birdwatchers and wildlife enthusiasts.

Spring is the most spectacular season at Malheur. More than 130 species of birds nest on the refuge, while other waterfowl using the Pacific Flyway stop at the refuge to refuel for their journey northward. In February, northern pintail and tundra swan begin to arrive, followed by large flocks of lesser and greater sandhill crane, and flocks of snow goose and Ross' goose.

It's another Refuge that I went to several times during the 90's. So, I have photos from several different seasons. Here is a variety of them:

Great Blue Heron

Great Egret

Hooded Merganser

Mule Deer Buck with Doe

Mule Deer Door with a "nosy"  LBB

Northern Pintail

Northern Shoveler (male and female)

Red Tailed Hawk

Ring Necked Pheasant

Rough Legged Hawk

Wood Duck in winter

Advent Calendar - December 26th

This little Wood Duck certainly seems out of place. He's a year round resident on the Pacific Coast and south Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. He is seen occasionally in inland parts of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. But in December, it is rare to see him inland. This photo was taken at Mahleur National Wildlife Refuge in Eastern Oregon.

Male Wood Duck at Mahleur National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon

Perching Ducks

"Perching Ducks" have long claws on their toes to enable them to "perch" and nest in trees. They are usually found along wooded waterways such as inland lakes, rivers, streams, and swamps. The only native "Perching Duck" found North America is the Wood Duck. Some Mandarin and Muscovy Ducks that have been brought to North America (from Asia) as pets or for zoos "escaped" and have established themselves in some city parks. Because their numbers are so small they often interbreed creating a wide variety of plumages and sizes with little resemblance to the native species. The adult male Wood Duck has distinctive multicolored iridescent plumage and red eyes. The female, less colorful, has a white eye-ring and a whitish throat. Both adults have crested heads. When swimming, Wood Ducks bob their head back and forth in a jerking motion (like a coot) which makes them easy to spot. These birds feed by dabbling or walking on land. They mainly eat berries and seeds, but also insects, making them omnivores. They are also unique in that they are the only duck in North America to produce two broods per year.

Wood Duck

photo taken on the Olympic Peninsula in Western Washington

Wood Ducks - Perching on tree branches

photo taken at McNary Wildlife Nature Area, Oregon

McNary is a series of small ponds near McNary Dam on the Columbia River

Wood Duck

photo take at Mahleur National Wildlife Refuge, Central Oregon