Yesterday, the day before astronomical spring, I flushed a quartet of Wood Ducks (three males and a female). They were hidden under the nearby bank of a marsh pond that had lost half of its ice and they scared me more than I did them. They were my first Woodies of the year and they made my day.
I only had a 200 mm lens on the camera and, by the time I got my shutter set for their speedy wing beats (1/4000th of a second) and pointed it in their direction, I only “captured” this straggling male high above me.
That’s alright; it’s good to know that they’re now here, which means that I’ll see them again in their favorite ponds or in an overlooking tree. (They’re taloned webbed feet enable this tree roosting from which they get their name.)
The next time, I’ll have a big lens strapped on the camera. and try to capture a male Wood Duck in full dress uniform and feathered helmet(, such as this fellow from a prior year:
Brooklin, Maine)