The Wily Wood Ducks of the Tuolumne River

I guess it is turning into duck week on the blog! Wood Ducks (Aix sponsa) live on the Tuolumne River where I live, and I see them almost every time I walk along the trail near the water treatment plant. But they are among the most skittish birds as well, so most of the pictures I have of them are at extreme zoom, because they flee as soon as I appear.

Today the river was running at almost 5,000 cubic feet per second, and it was loud. So I almost had a chance to get some close-ups, because the river covered my noise as I approached. Except the darn camera briefly malfunctioned, so they took off as normal, but unlike most times, they just crossed the river and went back into the water, so I had a chance to get a couple of shots. There is room for improvement, so I will keep at it!