Wood Duck ‘mama,’ ducklings take stroll around Mountain Lake City Park
A “mama” Wood Duck and her ducklings took a stroll around Mountain Lake City Park this morning (Thursday, June 9), checking out the grounds of Bethel Mennonite Church before heading back to the park. The park is host to a number of Wood Duck nest boxes on its trees, and it is believed this was the group’s first walk-about after leaving the nest.
If the ducks waddle down to Mountain Lake, they will be able to do a “swim-in” and catch this Sunday morning’s (June 12) lake baptism service for three young women from Bethel – Danielle Duerksen, daughter of Troy and Dixie Duerksen and Katherine Hofmann and Victoria Hofmann, daughters of Perry and Cheryl Hofmann.
In order to learn more about the visitors, the website https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wood_Duck/id was checkout out. Information on the site noted that the Wood Duck is one of the most stunningly-pretty of all waterfowl. Males are iridescent chestnut and green, with ornate patterns on nearly every feather; while the elegant females have a distinctive profile and delicate white pattern around the eye.
These birds live in wooded swamps, and, as cavity-nesters, nest in holes in trees or in nest boxes put up around lake margins.
They are one of the few duck species equipped with strong claws that can grip bark and perch on branches.
After hatching, the ducklings jump down from the nest tree and make their way to water. The mother calls them to her, but does not help them in any way. The ducklings may jump from heights of over 50 feet without injury.
Wood Ducks pair up in January, and most birds arriving at the breeding grounds in the spring are already paired. The Wood Duck is the only North American duck that regularly produces two broods in one year.
The oldest recorded Wood Duck was a male and at least 22 years, 6 months old. He had been banded in Oregon and was found in California.
Wood Ducks eat seeds, fruits, insects and other arthropods. When aquatic foods are not available, they may take to dry land to eat acorns and other nuts from forests and grain from fields. Diet studies show a lot of variability, but plant materials make up 80% or more of what the species eats. Examples of food eaten include acorns, soybeans, smartweed, water primrose, panic grass, duckweed, millet, waterlily, blackberries and wild cherries, as well as flies, beetles, caterpillars, isopods, and snails.
