Wood Ducks

Here's a pair of Wood Ducks I met earlier in the month. I hiked from the Raritan River Greenway into Duke Island Park and was surprised to see this drake and duck hanging out pretty close to me/others. Generally I consider the Wood Duck to be fairly leery of people, and with more secluded places near the Raritan River and the Raritan Power Canal I wouldn't have expected to see them in such a small body of water in the middle of the park.

My guess is they were there either because there's more food here than elsewhere, or maybe the female has found a tree cavity (or nesting box) that she's got an eye on for when she lays eggs.

April 5, 2021 at Duke Island Park
Photo 120291482, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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