Wood Ducks

I met 1 mother Wood Duck with (at least) 6 ducklings and another that seemed to be alone 1 day last spring. I think it's actually a little easier to photograph the mothers with young than it is to photograph them as adults. As adults they can either fly away or swim into dense vegetation when they see me, but when ducklings are involved the mother is forced to herd/lead them slowly away, since young ducklings don't move all that fast. (FWIW I was almost certainly fairly far away when this picture was taken.)

One thing you have to question when you see ducklings is whether they're all the mom's ducklings. Intraspecific brood parasitism happens quite a bit.
May 25, 2023 at Duke Farms
Photo 292818544, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

On that same day, I think I met the proverbial duck out of water.

May 25, 2023 at Duke Farms
Photo 292818929, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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