Wood Ducks on the South Fork

In 50 years of observing wildlife on this little stretch of the South Fork of the Eel, it has always been a special occasion when Wood Ducks visit. I have only seen a family with young once, many years ago, but the fact that I have seen this pair multiple times this past spring has got my hopes up that perhaps they are nesting nearby. Wood Ducks nest in tree cavities, and I have noticed this pair flying into wooded areas several times recently.

Female Wood Duck high in a tree above the river.

While the male Wood Duck’s showy plumage is well-known, the female has her own far more subtle beauty, and the iridescent speculum is a focal point.

Female Wood Duck preening and showing off her colorful speculum, a patch of feathers on a duck’s wing that contrast with the rest of the plumage.

Female Wood Duck foraging along the river’s edge. Wood Ducks eat plants and seeds, including acorns, as well as aquatic insects, snails, and clams.

The pair enjoy a quiet moment in the shade

The male stays alert while the female rests

The difference between the eyes of the two genders shows here.

Whenever I am lucky enough to see a wood duck I am reminded of this often quoted poem from Wendell Berry:

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.