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The Daily Bucket: Wood Ducks in my Backyard! [1]

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Date: 2023-04-03  

I froze in my tracks. Had the Wild Turkeys returned? Or were they just Crows, or maybe Turkey Vultures? I recognized the silhouettes — they were ducks! I immediately thought of Wood Ducks. One morning about 25 years ago, I‘d found Wood Ducklings in the dog pen. I’d heard some squawking and ruckus during the night, so perhaps the parents had met their demise and the ducklings somehow found their way into the pen. I gathered the few survivors into a box and kept them in the basement at work that day, then took them to the Kalamazoo Nature Center. They had an animal rehabilitation program at the time. I’ll just add that my boss thought I was a bit nuts.

Female (to the front left) and Male (to the right, easier to see)

Now, I walked carefully to the suet, and quietly back inside the house. With my binoculars, I verified that they were Wood Ducks. Mr M and I spent most of the morning watching them through the rain. The ducks sat in the oak for quite awhile. Although I couldn’t hear them, I could see them chattering almost continuously.

Male camouflaged in a dead evergreen closer to the house.

The male flew towards the house. After a time, the female followed.

Female to the left, a pesky Red Squirrel to the right.

Female Wood Duck

I spotted a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, too.

The pair ended up on a Sugar Maple branch near the pines. The female preened the male a bit. She constantly wove her neck around, surveying the yard and the birds at the feeders. But she seemed to be interested in a group of White Pines, including a snag that had been left from the power company’s trimming a couple of years ago, and one that had toppled in a storm years ago. I left the snags for wildlife habitat even though they aren’t what you’d see in Better Homes and Gardens.

Wood Ducks checking out the neighborhood (2:13)

According to birdfact.com:

If your backyard has a mature tree with a suitable hollow that has clear, easy access for birds to fly into, and is close to wetlands then, in theory, it is not impossible to attract nesting wood ducks. However, ducks are generally quite reclusive during their nesting period so it’s unlikely that they will choose a site that is frequently disturbed by human activity.

I wasn’t trying to attract Wood Ducks, but I’ve been landscaping for wildlife for many years.

Male in a White Pine even closer to the house, waiting for the female.

Not the best nesting site, I guess. You’d never guess that there’s room for a Wood Duck inside.

We kept an eye on the pair, but then couldn’t find the female. I went upstairs to look out the second story windows. All of a sudden, she emerged from a cavity in the White Pine snag, right in front of me. She took one look at me, turned to her waiting mate, and they both flew off to the west.

Wood Ducks nest in April in Michigan. There’s a small lake less than a mile in that direction, and lots of wetlands all around here, so there are better opportunities for a nest. But it was fun to be considered!

White Pine snag, the red arrow points to the narrow split leading to a cavity in the trunk.

Thanks for visiting!

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/4/3/2161385/-The-Daily-Bucket-Wood-Ducks-in-my-Backyard

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