Saturday, April 26, 2008

Wood Duck Drake



A pretty Wood Duck Drake standing guard on a fallen log

I first noticed the Wood Duck pair as I was fishing in a small cove off of the main body of the lake. The drake with his bright plumage stood out against the soft green & brown background, the hen with her drab brown colors blended in very well. Before I could approach within good camera range they began walking through the woods. I knew the land they were on was only a narrow strip with another cove only about twenty yards away. This situation gave me hope for here they were in the shadows but the next cove caught the morning sun very well. As the Woodies passed out of sight over the slight rise I turned the boat and headed for the next cove.

As I approached I kept the boat moving at the slowest speed my electric motor allows and stayed near the shore trying to stay out of sight until I was as close as possible. Rounding a little bend in the shoreline I spotted the Drake standing high upon this log. Below him sitting on the water was his mate. The drake watched me closely and began pacing the log as I drew nearer. Finally he and his mate grew weary of my company and winged away to a less crowded part of the lake.

25 comments:

Trish ~ ♥ ~ said...

Great sighting ~ thanks for sharing.

Mom Knows Everything said...

Wow what a beautiful duck!

Misty DawnS said...

He is definitely a handsome guy! Wow - I love his colors!

Carole said...

Wood ducks are such handsome guys.

Teena in Toronto said...

Great shot!

Mine's up too :)

Michele said...

Wonderful shot... loved your story as well!
The Rocky Mountain Retreat

Anna said...

That is a beautiful duck. Great shot. thanks for sharing.
Mine is up:
My Digital Snapshot

Stacey Olson said...

What a great shot of one of the most gorgeous ducks ever. I photographed a blond woodduck last year (in captivity) the gentleman that ran the place said that they are a species.. (could have been feeding me a line, I wouldn't know ) but it was beautiful
thanks for sharing

Dottie said...

He's doing a good job at standing guard! He almost looks fake :) What a great shot and I too love his colors.

Anonymous said...

wow ... so handsome! love the colors!

Juliana RW said...

handsome duck :D

Will you visit mine Thanks

Anonymous said...

great capture...

Please check out mine Thanks

Lilli & Nevada said...

Wow that is a beautiful duck, such pretty colors

Kerri Farley said...

Oh Salty! This is stunning!
WOW!

Jane Hards Photography said...

Beautiful duck. Love all the info you've posted aswell. Fabulous capture.

DeeMom said...

Great picture

They, the Woodies are a very interesting duck, we love watching the ones here on our creek as well

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Salty: Great picture of the Wood Duck. It's appropriate that you caught on a wood log. Check what I posted.

Tom said...

Hi Salty
This is great.. I have only ever seen these in the water.. the look a lot like the Mandrin we get. Very beautiful birds for sure.

Sharon said...

This is a great catch of a beautiful bird!

I love the picture of the Eagle below, what a treat to be able to see them out and about!

Anonymous said...

Amazing! What a beautiful duck.

***Fotografia e Luz*** said...

very beautiful picture of a duck

Jenny86753oh9 said...

How striking! I posted some ducks, but definitely not as bright as this guy!

Unknown said...

Wonderful shot Salty!

Meggie said...

Great shot, Salty! Handsome fellow!

bcmomtoo said...

He's gorgeous!