Wood Ducks

Here are a pair of Wood Ducks. A couple months earlier I would see a female accompanied by several juveniles; as the summer goes on I see fewer but larger ducks. I wouldn't be surprised if these are 2 of the surviving juveniles from earlier in the season. (It may be too early to distinguish males from females by plumage; juveniles of both sexes resemble adult females.)

Though it's possible that other juveniles survived but have dispersed, I'm sure the mortality rate among juvenile ducks is pretty high. Surviving to adulthood for a duck isn't as rare as winning the lottery, but it's no sure thing either.

September 8, 2021 at the Washington Valley Reservoir
Photo 167829829, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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