wild duck

Little Duckies Need Some Snackies

May 30, 2023 — 12 Comments

F/5.6, 1/160, ISO 100.

Mallard Female with Ducklings

Who earns a living driving their customers away?

A taxi driver.

Interesting Fact:  The female forms a shallow depression or bowl on the ground in moist earth. She does not carry material to the nest but rather pulls vegetation she can reach toward her while sitting on nest. During egg-laying phase, she lines the nest with grasses, leaves, and twigs from nearby. She also pulls tall vegetation over to conceal herself and her nest. After incubation begins, she plucks down feathers from her breast to line the nest and cover her eggs. The finished nest is about a foot across, with a bowl for the eggs that is 1–6 inches deep and 6–9 inches across. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mallard/lifehistory )

 

You Really Quack Me Up!

January 27, 2023 — 6 Comments

F/10.0, 1/400, ISO 320.

Ruddy Duck

Did you hear about the duck who thought he was a squirrel?

It was one tough nut to quack.

Interesting Fact: Migrating Ruddy Ducks stop in a variety of habitats, most often on large, permanent wetlands, lakes, and reservoirs. They spend the winter throughout the southern half of the breeding range, also moving into wintering habitat that spans most of the United States and extends through Mexico to Central America. Their wintering habitat includes freshwater wetlands, lakes, and reservoirs as well as brackish bays, coastal marshes, and tidal estuaries. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ruddy_Duck/lifehistory )

You Know What Guys I Am Getting Sick Of The V Formation!

January 4, 2023 — 6 Comments

F/10.0, 1/400, ISO 640.

Ruddy Duck

What do you get when you put four ducks in a box?

A box of quackers!

Interesting Fact: The Ruddy Duck has spiky tail feathers that are used in courtship displays. ( http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/116/overview/Ruddy_Duck.aspx )

Let’s Swim Away Together!

March 16, 2022 — 7 Comments

F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 200.

Wood Ducks

A man and a woman have just had their 50th wedding anniversary.

The husband turns to his wife and asks, “What do you want to do to celebrate our anniversary dear?”

She replies, “Let’s run upstairs and make love.”

He turns to her and says, “Well make up your mind, we can’t do both!”

Interesting Fact: Egg-dumping, or “intraspecific brood parasitism” is common in Wood Ducks—females visit other Wood Duck cavities, lay eggs in them, and leave them to be raised by the other female. This may have been made more common by the abundance and conspicuousness of artificial nest boxes; in some areas it happens in more than half of all nests. Individual females typically lay 10-11 eggs per clutch, but some very full nests have been found containing 29 eggs, the result of egg-dumping. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wood_Duck/lifehistory#behavior )

He Is On My Tail!

February 19, 2022 — Leave a comment

F/6.3, 1/160, ISO 160.

Wood Duck

What do you call an old snowman?

Water!

Interesting Fact: Breeding pairs search for nest cavities during early morning. The male stands outside as the female enters and examines the site. They typically choose a tree more than 1 foot and often 2 feet in diameter, with a cavity anywhere from 2–60 feet high (higher sites seem to be preferred). ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wood_Duck/lifehistory ) 

 

 

I Am Very Saucy, You Can Call Me Duck Sauce.

January 31, 2022 — 9 Comments

ruddy-duck-2

F/10.0, 1/320, ISO 400.

Ruddy Duck

Why did the scarecrow get promoted?

Because he was outstanding in his field.

Interesting Fact: Pleistocene fossils of Ruddy Ducks, at least 11,000 years old, have been unearthed in Oregon, California, Virginia, Florida, and Illinois. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ruddy_Duck/lifehistory )

 

 

Watch It! I Am Swimming HERE!

January 22, 2022 — 12 Comments

F/ 6.3, 1/160, ISO 200.

Black Scoter 

What did the nose say to the finger?

Stop picking on me.

Interesting Fact:  Birds occasionally do a “wing-flap” display while swimming, flapping their wings with the body held up and punctuating this with a downward thrust of head, as if its neck were momentarily broken. ( https://identify.whatbird.com/obj/298/overview/Black_Scoter.aspx )

Duck Magnet!

January 11, 2022 — 9 Comments

F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 250.

Ruddy Duck

How do you know that carrots are good for your eyesight?

Have you ever seen a rabbit wearing glasses?

Interesting Fact:  Ruddy Ducks lay big, white, pebbly-textured eggs—the largest of all duck eggs relative to body size. Energetically expensive to produce, the eggs hatch into well-developed ducklings that require only a short period of care. ( http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ruddy_Duck/lifehistory )

Do You Have My Quack?

May 16, 2021 — 4 Comments

F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 320.

Ruddy Duck

Did you hear about the duck with a drug problem?

He was a quackhead.

Interesting Fact:  The oldest Ruddy Duck on record was a male and at least 13 years, 7 months old. He was banded in British Columbia and 1951 and found in Oregon in 1964. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ruddy_Duck )

Duck You Sucker

March 24, 2021 — 4 Comments

F/8.0, 1/250, ISO 200.

Wood Duck

A really big drunk walked into a bar and, after staring for some time at the only woman seated at the bar, walked over to her and kissed her.

She jumped up and slapped him silly.

He immediately apologized and explained, “I’m sorry. I thought you were my wife. You look exactly like her.”

“Why you worthless, insufferable, wretched, no good drunk!” she screamed.

“Funny,” he muttered, “you even sound exactly like her.”

Interesting Fact: Wood Ducks seem to fare best when open water alternates with 50–75% vegetative cover that the ducks can hide and forage in. This cover can consist of downed trees, shrubs such as alder, willow, and buttonbush, as well as emergent herbaceous plants such as arrowhead and smartweeds. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wood_Duck/lifehistory )