Wood Ducks on the Tuolumne River (But I had to go to Washington to see the babies)

I've had some marvelous views of Wood Ducks (Aix sponsa) of late on the Tuolumne River Parkway Trail. There are several pairs that have spent time up in the trees, and others that have been creeping about in the underbrush. I've seen as many as six in a day (unless they've been flying up or downstream to fool me). And I was especially pleased to the get the shot above, the clearest and most colorful that I've ever taken.

The one thing I haven't seen is Wood Duck ducklings. I don't know if they haven't bred yet, or if they are keeping their chicks well-hidden from predators, but I haven't seen any young ones. That changed today, but I had to travel all the way to Washington to see them. Lake Washington is a huge glacial lake that borders the east side of Seattle, and it is an urban nightmare. On the other hand, the local cities have put together a really nice nature trail that runs along the lower 17 miles of the Cedar River, on the of the main rivers that feeds into Lake Washington. I was exploring a short portion of that trail today, and the bird sightings were unremarkable, just three species, but one of the species was Wood Duck, and their were a fair number of them, mainly a pair of Wood Ducks, and a Mom with her ducklings making their way through a small swamp adjacent to the river. They were constantly moving, but finally settled for a nap on a floating log that was growing a bit of grass.

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.

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!

Wood Duck on the Tuolumne River

Wood Ducks (Aix sponsa) are one of the most colorful birds I ever see when I walk the Tuolumne River for my exercise sessions, but they are also one of the most wary. I know of one or two spots where they would hang out during quieter pre-flood days, but no matter how quiet my approach on the trail, they would shoot off before it was possible to get a picture. I've trying to catch up with my bird picture archives since last spring, and I realized that I had captured a couple of almost-clear pictures. The difference? The much higher river had pushed the birds higher on the banks, and the rushing waters masked my approach. These shots may look fairly close, but I'm guessing I was at least fifty yards away, using the zoom lens.

I don't know the ducks all that well yet, so it was a surprise to me to see the duck perched on a tree branch. It turns out that the Wood Ducks have stronger claws than most duck species, and are quite comfortable in trees, often building nests there. Once I learned that, I remembered the videos I've seen of ducklings jumping out of high trees on their first journeys to water. Here's an example from National Geographic:

Wood Ducks on the Tuolumne River Parkway Trail

Well, it's at extreme zoom, and a little bit fuzzy, but darn it I finally got a (semi)clear shot of the Wood Ducks (Aix sponsa) that I know have been lurking about on my section of the Tuolumne River where it flows through Waterford. I was walking the Tuolumne Parkway Trail on the bluffs above the water treatment plant when I saw two large birds in the distance. They looked unusually dark for Mallards, so I zoomed in and saw that it was in fact the Wood Duck pair (the male is the colorful one).

I've seen them at least three times previously, but they've been hiding in the willows or so far away as to be impossible to clearly photograph them. Perhaps next time, we'll get some closer views.