On Sunday (April 11), I was driving past a local pond and noticed near the opposite side a slow moving “>” in the dark water, the wake of a small duck. Squinting hard, I either saw or imagined a parading duck wearing Cleopatra streak eye makeup – the sign of a female Wood Duck.
I stopped the car, fumbled for the 200-500 mm zoom lens behind the seat, found it and exchanged it for the one I had on the camera body beside me. All the while I was saying to myself, “Don’t fly yet; don’t hide yet.” The “>” had now become two (“>>”) and had entered the center of the pond and stopped; two ducks had turned toward my stopped car.
I poked the lens out the window, rested it on the half-down window, and focused: It was a pair of Wood Ducks, alright. But, they had turned again and were heading fast for the cat tail reeds. I got off four desperate shots before they disappeared into the reeds.
I waited 10 minutes; then 20; then 30. I decided then to wait only five more minutes. At 35, I decided definitely to go only another five. (I’ve got no discipline.) At 50 minutes after they had disappeared, I finally decided I’d go home and see what I had in the camera. (I need to work on my patience.)
None of the four images was great. The one above shows the male’s striped bicycle helmet head, painted bill, and Maraschino cherry eyes, all key identifiers. The female’s Cleopatra eyes can be seen in the image below:
(Brooklin, Maine)