The curiosity of youth?

I got close enough to these two female wood ducks this morning to get a decent shot before they swam away. They may be juveniles, which may explain why they let me get within 20 feet of them. The adults are always more wary.

Prograstinators?

I was happily surprised to see two Wood Ducks, a male and a female, on the open water this morning. Here it is November 1st, the latest I've ever seen wood ducks on the marsh.

Hiding in plain sight

Yesterday I finally discovered the other hiding place of the Wood Ducks - the sewage lagoons next to the marsh. I counted 30 wood ducks in one of the lagoons, most of whom were lined up along the pipes that lie across the lagoon surface. This shot shows, L to R, an adult female, an adult male, and a juvenile male. (The bubbles are from the aerobic process that is used to treat the sewage.)

Who's that creeping up on me . . .

When I first saw these Wood Ducks perched high in one of the dead trees at the edge of the marsh, just the tail feathers of a third were visible next to the tree trunk at the left. Then that third duck, a young female, who must have heard me in the bushes, turned around and stuck her head out to get a peek. The two larger birds are adult males.