BLACK DUCKS AND WOOD DUCKS

      Part of each winter for several years, up to 24 black ducks have rested, along with Canada geese, mallard ducks and common merganser ducks, on a slow-moving, half-mile stretch of Mill Creek in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  That part of Mill Creek is flanked on one side by a thin, riparian woods that shades the creek and offers low-hanging limbs that shelter those ducks and geese on the water.  The other side of the creek is bordered by cow pastures where the geese graze on grass.  

     Black ducks appear black on ice and snow, particularly from a distance.  They are ruggedly handsome ducks that exhibit much stamina.  They are robust, and have layers of dense feathering, as all waterfowl do, that shields them from cold water and air.  And black ducks are particularly wary, quick to fly away at the least hint of potential danger.  

     Like their close cousins, the mallards, black ducks "tip-up" in shallow water to feed on aquatic vegetation.  But in winter they also fly to harvested corn fields with mallards and geese to shovel up golden kernels of corn on the ground.  And, when they have to, all those birds push their shovel-like beaks into shallow snow to get that nourishing grain.  

     Black ducks traditionally nest on the ground in shady woodlands in northeastern North America.  They are dark to blend into those duckling-rearing habitats.  And black ducks winter in Atlantic coast salt marshes where they feed on grasses and seeds.  But they currently adapted to wintering on inland creeks, and human-made impoundments, large and smaller, in the Mid-Atlantic States.  There they rest in flocks of their own between feeding forays in nearby agricultural areas.     

     A small group of wood ducks arrives on Mill Creek early in March.  Those darkly-feathered wood ducks overlap with the black ducks there, doubling the dark duck beauty on that waterway.  Black dusks and wood ducks both evolved in the dark forests of eastern North America and share those woodsy habitats to this day.  

     Black ducks on Mill Creek, and blacks throughout the Middle Atlantic States, will winter there for a couple more weeks before pushing north in mid-March to their nesting areas in woods in New York, New England and eastern Canada.  But the wood ducks will stay along Mill Creek, and other such habitats, to look for nurseries in tree cavities and nest boxes erected especially for them near water to hatch young in.       

     Drake wood ducks are darkly-beautiful in their many-colored feathering, green crests and red irises.  Female woodies, however, are mostly gray all over with a light ring of tiny feathers around each eye.  Woody hens are camouflaged so they are better protected from predators when raising equally-camouflaged ducklings.  Both genders of adult woodies are dark because they traditionally live and rear offspring along streams in eastern woodlands.      

     Each female woody, followed by her beautiful mate, flies among nest boxes attached to trees or poles, and holes in larger trees to find a vacant one she can lay about 12 eggs in.  Woodies are small, lithe ducks that easily maneuver among limbs below woodland canopies.  

     Wood ducks have ample competition for nesting hollows, among them being barred owls and raccoons.  But, seemingly, most female woodies find a hollow to safely hatch her brood.       

     Black ducks and wood ducks along Mill Creek in March offer much beauty and intrigue to that waterway.  Every year I like to visit that stream to see those two kinds of lovely ducks before the blacks leave and the woodies become secretive while rearing youngsters.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

DADDY-LONG-LEGS

     During summer, over the years in southeastern Pennsylvania, I've seen many daddy-long-legs on the bark of tree trunks on lawns, and in parks and woods.  They blend into the color of tree bark well and are difficult to see.  Many people never see them at all until those camouflaged little critters are pointed out by people in the know about them.        Daddy-long-legs have eight, really long, thin legs, but they are not spiders.  But they are arachnids, and related to spiders.  These attractive, little creatures, called daddy-long-legs because of their long legs, have quarter-inch, compact bodies raised on stilt-like legs.  They have two dark eyes and feel the vibrations of birds and other predators with their legs.  But these arachnids have no venom, or silk to make webs.        Daddy-long-legs, like all other living beings, are part of several food chains.  They consume tiny invert...
Read more

SPRING ON THE UPPER CHESAPEAKE

      I visited the Upper Chesapeake Bay at the Community Park of Northeast, Maryland one afternoon about the middle of March a few years ago, as I had several times in different seasons before that day.  This time, I went there to spot migrating water birds of various kinds.        Because of their high numbers, gulls and ducks were the dominant birds on the ice, and strips of open water among the slabs of ice because of the warming weather in March.  Most of the handsome ring-billed, herring and great black-backed gulls stood picturesquely on slabs of ice.        The attractive, adult ring-billed and herring gulls are mostly gray on top, white below, and look much alike, except the herrings are larger and have a red mark on their beaks, whereas each ring-bill has a black "ring" around its bill.  Largest of these gulls, the stately, mature black-backs have black backs and upper wings and are white below, ma...
Read more

MY FAVORITE DRAGONFLIES

     Visibly active during summer months, white-tailed and twelve-spotted skimmers are common, related species of dragonflies living in southeastern Pennsylvania, and much of the United States.  These kinds of dragonflies have characteristics in common, which demonstrates their shared ancestry.  And they are my favorite dragonflies.   They are large enough to be easily seen in rapid flight, have attractive color patterns and are excitedly fast when sweeping low over cattail-bordered ponds, grass-lined, slow-moving creeks and bordering farmland after flying insects, including lots of mosquitoes, which they catch and eat.  And, interestingly, they hover like helicopters.  Dragonflies are thrilling, entertaining and inspiring to watch, without fear of being stung or bitten by them.  Their beauties and dashing flamboyance help make summer waters come to life.      Both these kinds of skimmers are two inches long and have three...
Read more