Finally: A wood duck returns to Lake Nelson

 

Incredibly Cute Baby Wood Ducks

We were up in Piermont, NY, the other night to see our friends, Nancy and Dan, and take in the Fred Eaglesmith Band show. We figured we might get some birding in as well because that is what we do. Can you imagine the thrill we felt when one of the first things we saw out the window of our B&B were these adorable baby ducks. We love wood ducks but had never seen any baby ones. Of course, Chris kept frantically counting them as they all tried to keep up with mom who was trying to swim against the current.

Wood Ducks Visit Lake Nelson

A few weeks ago during a heavy snow storm, a neighbor's tree fell into the lake. Now that parts of the lake are unfrozen, it is providing good shelter for some wood ducks. Here, two male wood ducks are vying for the attention of a single female. We're glad to see these less frequent visitors and hope they are a harbinger for spring.

Ducks on Lake Nelson

Female Wood Duck

Wood Duck with Mallards

American Widgeon

A few migratory ducks are spending an occasional evening at Lake Nelson. Today, Chris was happy to see a female wood duck by the dock, although the mallards weren't particularly interested in the visitor. A widgeon came by yesterday. Neither stayed long, but the loon has been here more than a week.

Wood Duck

Sunnier Photos: Wood Duck and Kingfisher

It was sunny today. It's a pleasant surprise when the weather is better than the forecast. Chris got these photos of two of our favorites.

We have Wood Ducks! We have Wood Ducks!

 

Wood Ducks

Hooded Merganser

This morning we were discussing whether we should head out anywhere for some birding since it wasn't raining yet. Before we had decided on a location, Chris noticed that our resident lake population of ducks had increased. Upon picking up the binoculars, she exclaimed to Mike, "We have wood ducks, we have wood ducks, we have wood ducks." So, we stayed home and crept outside and hid behind our camouflage and watched them. We counted two males and three females. A female mallard was trying to hang out with them also; probably thinking these males are more handsome than the males in her bunch. We saw a small duck fly overhead and assumed it was a third male wood duck to even out the group. We sat out for about 30 to 40 minutes, and the small duck landed in the water near us. To our surprise, it was a male hooded merganser. It's a great day on Lake Nelson when two of our favorite fancy ducks arrive on the same day. We have a saying that the worst weather brings the best ducks and it turned out to be true again.

Birds from the Celery Farm in Allendale

We took a quick trip to the Celery Farm in Allendale, NJ. The yellow warbler was best photo that we got.

We spotted some wood ducks including what appeared to be an immature male just showing some adult colors.

 

 

Egret

Swans and Ducks

Cormorant

Baby Catbird

Swallow

Wren

Wood Ducks

We went to the Charles H. Rogers Wildlife Refuge in Princeton. We saw several pairs of wood ducks. Although the male's colors are spectacular, the female shows a bit of color as well (click on the top picture to enlarge it).

Defrosted

The lake has finally defrosted. Word got out quickly. We get to count some fancy ducks in the Great Backyard Bird Count. Two wood ducks arrived, followed by a hooded merganser.

Wood Ducks: The worst weather brings the best ducks

They're here! It's that time of year again when Chris will get nothing done at home because of these fancy ducks that come by. This morning, Chris decided she better get the binoculars to be sure those weren't just mallards. It was a group of five females and one male wood duck.

Wood Duck in a Tree

We were happy to see a pair of wood ducks back on the lake this morning. Here's a picture of the male on the lake. They flew off into a tree. We took an early morning walk and got this photo of the female about 50 feet high.

Wood Ducks: Back in Jersey

Wood Ducks

This pair caused quite a stir at our house very early this morning. We were having our coffee in the upstairs bedroom windows as usual, which offer the best view of a large portion of the lake. At first glance with the naked eye, Chris thought the Hooded Merganser couple was back. Fortunately she was quick to grab the binoculars and discover it was a male and female Wood Duck pair. She dashed for the camera, of course all the while exclaiming to Mike how she could not contain her excitement. It's a good thing she moved fast, because they only stayed for about 20 minutes. We had seen a pair of these one day early last November also early one morning, and we hadn't seen any again until this morning. Chris sat out on the dock late this afternoon for an hour and a half hoping they would come by again so we'd have a clearer picture to put up, but they just didn't come by. The early mornings and late afternoons seem to be the best times for the less common types of ducks we see, so we'll surely be up early again tomorrow hoping for a repeat performance. The lovely female Common Merganser was here early in the morning too, and she was just demanding to be photographed again. I do love the way she is looking at him.

A Pair of Wood Ducks