It was decades before I figured out that Wood Ducks nest in trees. Turns out they have special claws that help them perch.
You may have seen the online videos showing the fuzzy little ducklings leaving the nest. They tumble as many as 30 feet from a nest/nesting box to the ground and then harmlessly bounce. That’s not how I would like to be introduced to the outside world!
For the last several years a pair of Wood Ducks has nested in Jill’s silver maple tree in her backyard in the middle of the city.
She tried setting up a trail cam to record the ducklings leaping, but it has never caught the moment. Instead every year she finds a ball of nesting fluff in her backyard which is the sign that everyone has already left for the golf course pond.
Two years ago a pair of Wood Ducks landed in the big oak to the south of our yard. I wondered if they were nesting nearby too. I only saw then that one day.
But last week a pair showed up in that same tree again. I wasn’t able to grab a camera in time. But two days later they were back. I never would’ve noticed them if I hadn’t seen them fly in.
They landed 40 feet above the ground an hour after dawn when the sun wasn’t yet high enough to illuminate all the trees.
My neighbor told me that someone on our city block has a pair nesting in an oak tree in their yard, so I assume it’s these two.
I watched them for a few minutes before they made a poor tactical decision. They flew to the next tree over—a hickory tree that just happens to have a nest of baby squirrels in it.
Mamma squirrel barely let them land before scrambling out of the nesting hole to chase them off.
Wood Ducks are gorgeous birds. I get excited when I spot them in a marsh or pond because they are just so beautiful to behold.
