An Odd Duck

 

 A few weeks ago I photographed a Wood Duck in a small pond in Tiverton. Wood Ducks are very spooky so I was excited to get a lot of photos of this duck in a tiny area. Wood Ducks are notoriously afraid of people. I can't tell you how many times I'd go for hikes and they would fly off long before I would have even known they were there.  It turned out the reason why this duck wasn't afraid of humans is that it was once owned by them. A birder named John Magil got a photo of its leg and it has a band around it. Because of the band, I can't count it on my year list. Only wild birds can be counted.

It is odd to see a once domesticated Wood Duck. I have raised my own chickens, ducks, and turkeys for years. I have many hatchery catalogs. Never once have I seen Wood Ducks for sale. I assume some places must because of this one, but I have never heard of it.

None the less, he is living in the wild now. Every day he faces the same challenges of finding food and evading foxes and eagles as other ducks.

As if it weren't odd enough to have this once domesticated Wood Duck now living in the wild, it also has a girlfriend! You would think that his girlfriend were a female Wood Duck but it isn't. This handsome fellow is smitten with a female Mallard. I went back to get more photos of him yesterday afternoon and I was talking to a guy that has photographing it a lot. The Woody as been in love with the female Mallard for quite some time. Wherever she goes he is right along side of her. If she gets out of the water so does he, if she decided to go for a swim, he is right next to her. He will chase away Mallards that attempt to get close to her even though they are almost twice his size.

While I was there yesterday, he was "courting" the female with his song and whistles. Even to a human, it was clear she didn't understand the language and she was confused. However, from what I can gather, she seems to like his company. She seemed to more than tolerate his presence right by her side.  He is a very interesting odd duck indeed.

They do make an attractive pair even if they are not meant to be.