As I look out the window, the mountain across the lake is shrouded in cloud and it is obvious new snow has fallen up there. The water is choppy and the wind chilly. But in the sheltered marsh, the waterfowl are merrily greeting spring.
Just the other day, I was able to capture a duck that is truly glorious in all it’s colour. The peacock of our duck family. It’s the wood duck. Now I have photographed this specific duck group before. However, never in focus. In the sunlight the colours are almost too intense to capture. But this was a lightly cloudy day.
The wood duck is a perfect example of Nature’s predilection with showering the male of the species with glorious plumage. The ‘poor’ female gets stuck with the ‘drab’ colours. However the bold plumage is to attract the females attention, giving them a high degree of control over what happens in the swamp. And the lesser colours protect the female on the nest.
So after all that, here is my wood duck couple, stomping through the mud…..
There seems to be some communication going on in the next two shots, first the female and then the male….
The male seems quite taken with himself……
And this time, the male got the last word!
Categories: birds, Photography, spring arrivals, waterfowl, Wood ducks
Lardeau Valley Time 
Leave a Reply