I can’t describe how excited we were when we got home and downloaded this mornings photos and discovered that we had captured a bucket list bird: The incredibly illusive Wood Duck. Two males and a female. How incredible!
We walked across our back field and headed toward our small pond that is very secluded and tucked into a wooded corner. Our dog Ripley, a Chocolate Labrador, was walking ahead of us as we approached the pond area. All we have ever seen at this pond, even with a trail cam put up for a couple of weeks, were raccoons, blackbirds, and deer. Today, however, when Ripley ran in, I saw a large bird taking to the air. We were still out in the field and didn’t have a good shot inside the woods by the pond. So I waited, preparing for the birds to exit the woods just in front of us. They did and we realized they were ducks. I snapped off a few shots before they flew out of sight.
Last week, Monica had spied a lone Northern Pin Tail duck on our large pond next to the house. At first glance at this mornings ducks, we thought these were the same. When we got home and pulled them up on the laptop, at first we said, “Oh wow, they’re Hooded Mergansers.” Then in an instant we looked and again and both Monica and I yelled out at the same time, “They’re Wood Ducks!”
What a lucky find, and we did manage to get some good shots. I hope you enjoy these Wood Duck photos as much as we did getting to see them in person and checking off one of our bucket list birds. These ducks are extremely challenging to see, let alone get a good photo of one, so we feel so excited, elated, and yes a little proud that we got these photos today.
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From my camera to yours, “Enjoy Our Wonderful World!”
RM Goldsmith Photography 