Wood DuckOne of the distinguishing physical characteristics of the male Wood Duck is its crest. (Photo David A. Murray)

The small chain of ponds nestled comfortably into the landscape of mixed hardwood trees. Gentle, roll-ing hills bordered the ponds and created a beautiful backdrop against the clear blue sky. The noise from the approach to the pond sent a flurry of ducks into the air, and a mixture of quacking calls faded off into the distance, as the birds quickly gained altitude to silhouette against the blue sky. The distinctive profile of the ducks in flight, with the long, square-ended tail and large head, identified them as a small flock of Wood Ducks.

The male Wood Duck is one of the most distinctive, colorful, and beautiful ducks in the world. This description specifically refers to the male of the species because Wood Ducks have what is called "marked sexual dimorphism." This term essentially means that the plumage markings and colors, on the different sexes, are very different; and in the case of the Wood Duck, the male is much more brightly colored than the female. In fact, the male and female in this species are very different looking ducks.

The female and juvenile Wood Ducks are predominantly a combination of brown tones with the most distinguishing characteristic being a white eye-ring that is shaped like a horizontal teardrop.

The male Wood Duck has several distinguishing marks and is brightly colored with beautiful iridescent colors. In fact, the male Wood Duck is often an "icon" for ducks, and is used in numerous illustrations and decorative decoys. One of the distinguishing physical characteristics of the male Wood Duck is its crest. The crest, located at the back of the head, is sometimes slicked-back and not immediately obvious, while at other times it is stretched out and dominates the duck's head.

The male's feather colors are divided into sections and create a pattern in beautiful iridescent plum-age of vivid blues, greens, and purples. The duck's face and head are accented with white stripes highlighted by a red eye-ring and red bill. This duck also has a distinctive white chinstrap and neck that leads into a chestnut colored breast.

Wood Ducks are considered "perching ducks," and are part of the large Anatidaefamily, which includes a diverse group of swans, geese, and ducks. The Wood Duck is considered in the group of "perching ducks" due to its sharp claws. "Perching ducks" are woodland ducks, and these ducks, although still having webbed feet, are equipped with claws for perching in trees. In fact, the Wood Duck is literally very much at home up in a tree.

The nest of the Wood Duck is constructed in the cavity of a tree, and is made of down. Although most nests are constructed about twenty feet off the ground, some nests have been located as high as 50 feet. This nest will be home to about a dozen ducklings, most of whom will survive to hatch due to a lack of predators as compared to a nest on the ground. It isn't long after hatching that the young ducklings leave the nest by jumping from their nesting cavity to the ground. From some of the higher nest cavities a few youngsters will perish from hitting limbs on the way down, but most of these little spongy puffballs will survive the jump. Once on the ground, mother duck will gather the hatchlings and lead them to the water. Here, on the water, is where mortality is high as the snapping turtles, from below the water's surface, grab the floating hatchlings for a meal. It is not uncommon for snapping turtles to consume all or most of a hatch.

Wood Ducks prefer a woodland habitat that is near or adjacent to freshwater ponds or marshes. Their summer range extends across most of northern America and the southern border of Canada. They avoid the central and southern plains States, and prefer the cooler summer climates. In winter, the ducks migrate to the southern States, with New Jersey as the most northern winter range on the east, and with some birds migrating to Texas and the Pacific Coast.

Wildlife watching or photographing the Wood Duck, in the wild, can be very challenging. Although this duck can become habituated to humans in a captive or "duck puddle" type of environment, most wild Wood Ducks are very shy and weary of intrusions. This in large part is due to the high predation they endure from fox, coyotes, raccoons, birds of prey, and as previously mentioned snapping turtles.

It's very important for you to find the ducks before they find you. A good approach is to scan a pond, from a distant high point, with binoculars. Once you've located the ducks, you can plan a strategy to get closer to that portion of the pond. As you approach the pond, stop several yards from the water's edge and stay concealed in the surrounding woods. Let things quiet down for about 15 to 30 minutes, and then start to slowly and quietly make your way to the water's edge. Try to find a "shooting lane" that affords you visibility of the pond, but keeps you back a few feet from the edge and out of open view. This will require your longest telephoto lens and plenty of patience. Don't try to rush the opportunity, wait for the ducks to swim within range. Once they are close, try not to move until the ducks are looking away from you. Any noticeable movement in the bushes near the water will appear to them as a predator approaching the pond and they will take to the air immediately.

Good shooting!

For questions or comments, P.O. Box 59, Southport, ME. 04576 or e-mail: mail@davidamurray.com.

David A. Murray's Wildlife & Outdoor Imagesª at 68 Oak Street in Boothbay Harbor, has closed for the season. Nevertheless, both framed and unframed images, as well as other products are available, for the holidays and year around, at our Southport studio. For more information, call 633-7878.