A Wood Duck, in the Woods, on the Tuolumne River

Yes, I just posted about Wood Ducks (Aix sponsa) only a week ago, but of course I saw more on subsequent trips this week. This morning I saw two or three ducks flying over the Tuolumne River, and then unexpectedly they flew up into a tall cottonwood tree on the shore. I'm just not used to ducks landing in trees, even though I know that this is something Wood Ducks do. This is the closest I've ever gotten to these wary birds (it felt hidden from sight). Although the male was silhouetted against the sky, I was able to bring out some of the color in processing the photo.

UPDATED: Of course, the very next day I got even better pictures of the Wood Ducks, so I'm adding to this post from yesterday...

A male Wood Duck up in the Cottonwood

A female in the cottonwood

Here's a look at the male and female up in the tree.

A few days earlier I saw a pair of Wood Ducks perched on the snag over the river. Again, perfectly normal for a Wood Duck, but still unexpected for ducks in general.