Wood Ducks

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The wood duck is widely considered our most beautiful native North American duck. Easily flushed at the first sign of a person, the hen will take flight and sound her plaintive cry. They are plentiful but seldom seen by most people. Adept at navigating through woodlands, they are among the few ducks that perch in trees. The use of man-made nest boxes has aided the population of woodies, as they suffer from loss of habitat and suitable natural nesting cavities in trees. For years, I have had the privilege of observing and photographing "woodies" in Pennsylvania. In this area, they migrate just a bit south in the fall, and I always look forward to their return in late February, bringing spring with them. The photographs here were all taken while I was concealed in a blind, which allowed me to enter their world without disturbing them.