In late April I was enjoying breakfast in front of my bay window when I saw a bird land high up in the neighbor’s oak tree. It looked like a giant Mourning Dove. In fact I almost ignored it. But then I lectured myself about “birding the bird” and I grabbed my binoculars. That was no Mourning Dove!
Can you see it? It’s a female Wood Duck!
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology says that Wood Ducks “are one of the few duck species equipped with strong claws that can grip bark and perch on branches. The Wood Duck nests in trees near water, sometimes directly over water, but other times over a mile away. After hatching, the ducklings jump down from the nest tree and make their way to water. The mother calls them to her, but does not help them in any way. The ducklings may jump from heights of over 50 feet without injury.”
Our house is exactly one mile away from a large pond and marsh. I still wouldn’t believe a duck would have a nest in our neighborhood except that my friend JL lives about a mile away from that pond in a different direction, and this is the second year in a row that Wood Ducks have nested high up in a Silver Maple tree in her backyard.
She’s seen the parents sitting on giant tree limbs, and she’s located the cavity they are using, but the only evidence she ever found that chicks safely may have safely made it out of the nest is when fluffs of nesting material showed up in her lawn.
This particular female Wood Duck was about 50 feet up in that oak tree.
Wood Duck males are quite handsome, but I also think that the females, with that white “teardrop” around their eyes, are also pretty.
Mrs. Duck sat in the oak tree for about 5 minutes and then flew across the street to another tall oak tree. Maybe somebody over there got to watch the pair raise their little family. If any of the oaks that surround our yard were actually on our property, I’d be tempted to ask my husband to build a nesting box!