17 November 2023 (shivering)

shivering oak leaves . . .

a few pairs of wood ducks

forage for acorns

10 November 2023 (aurora alert)

aurora alert . . .

through binoculars, colors

of a wood duck

11 August 2022 (wood duck)

the wood duck’s whistle

as she flushes from the reeds

summer rain

Happy birthday, Mom! xo

12 April 2021 (stoneflies)

hatching stoneflies . . .

a pair of wood ducks explores

a nest hole

April 13: Nesting

Watching hopefully
as a pair of Wood Ducks
checks out my backyard trees.

October 24: Wood Duck

A birder friend visiting Orlando, Florida, emailed today that she gotten her first long looks at a male wood duck in breeding plumage. Her exact words were: "Holy #%&@!" Here's what he looks like, so you can understand her justifiable excitement:

Photo credit: Arjan Haverkamp for Wikimedia Commons

He's really a flamboyant bird, one of the more colorful in North America. You couldn't make that bird up if you tried, even if you went at it with crayons in a coloring book. I was one of the Maine judges for the Junior Duck Stamp contest this spring, and a lot of the young artists chose the wood duck as their subject. I think they enjoyed being able to use all those colors--so much more dramatic than the understated plumage of most waterfowl. And I just learned that the official duck stamp for 2012-13 will be a wood duck, painted by artist Joseph Hautman.

My friend suggested I write a wood duck haiku. Having spent the whole day in a not unpleasant but certainly not poetically inspiring class on volunteer management, I was happy to oblige her. (Thanks for the poetic nudge, Cathy! I hope you see more exciting bird life while you're in warmer climes.)

Holy s**t! Wood duck!
Is his gaudy plumage real?
I can't stop looking.