Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: 1 November 2016

I don't see Wood Ducks very often and, usually when I do see them, they are far away. The two males and one female in this photo were just within photo range, fully zoomed and cropped. A second female was nearby. They were hanging out at a local storm-water pond at Burnsmead, Fish Creek Park, and were seen on a birding walk with friends on 1 November 2016. By the way, a note to any local birders - the road down to Bankside has been closed for the winter. I don't remember this happening other years. Now you have to park in the Burnsmead parking lot and walk the rest of the way. I will add the list of the 32 bird species seen, in a comment box below. "The Wood Duck is one of the most stunningly pretty of all waterfowl. Males are iridescent chestnut and green, with ornate patterns on nearly every feather; the elegant females have a distinctive profile and delicate white pattern around the eye. These birds live in wooded swamps, where they nest in holes in trees or in nest boxes put up around lake margins. They are one of the few duck species equipped with strong claws that can grip bark and perch on branches." From AllABoutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wood_Duck/id en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_duck