The big news at Botany Pond is that they did a lot of gardening work around the pond the last two Saturdays, putting in new sod on Duck Plaza and in front of the stone bench, adding water-loving vegetation to the duck islands and along the banks of Duck Plaza, and putting a lot of […]
Today we have installment #2 of John Avise‘s new series on “faux ducks”: those species that many people think are ducks, but which aren’t ducks. You still have to guess the species, even though you know it isn’t a duck. The answer, some fun Faux Duck facts, and a range map are below the fold. […]
Frisky’s girlfriend, whom we’ve named Ruth, was here this morning, but flew away before breakfast. There’s no telling if she’ll return, but I always have my camera at the pond. In the meantime, I noticed today, as Frisky climbed atop his Sacred Cypress Knee and took a midmorning nap, that when he closes his eyes, […]
A female woodie (Aix sponsa) joined Frisky in the pond this morning. It was adorable; they’re swimming together and Frisky is grooming the yet-to-be-named hen. The sexual dimorphism of the species is very evident now, but the tender way that Frisky grooms the lady is adorable! I’m entranced. For the action, see the video at […]
Frisky, the Botany Pond male wood duck (Aix sponsa), is still with us, though other woodies come and go. Frisky is pretty much in his full breeding plumage now, and he’s a sight to behold! These photos were taken yesterday and today. Frisky has put on some weight since he arrived, but that’s good. He […]
Stephen Barnard from Idaho is back with some lovely photos—and two videos as lagniappe. His captions and IDs are indented. The first four are mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) in flight. Migratory mallards are pouring in from Canada and parts north. There will soon be thousands. Duck hunting season, popular here, starts October 19. You’ll be happy […]
Here are some fairly recent duck photos and videos (well, they go back a few weeks, but I’ll bring them up to date soon). The mallards seem to recognize me not by my face, which is covered by a mask when I’m at the pond, nor by my general body shape or behavior. It is […]
With this installment we bring the North American Duck segment to a close, as John Avise has now presented every species of duck in North America. I hope that by now you know all the species, especially the mallard and the wood duck. But we have one final contribution: not a native duck, but a […]
The two male wood ducks (Aix sponsa) in Botany Pond are still here, though the Lady Woodie flew the coop. And the two males, who get plenty of noms from us, are starting to change their plumage from the non-breeding form to the fantastic breeding coloration. Here are the woodies on September 16. This first […]
It’s Sunday, and that means we have John Avise‘s Duck o’ the Week quiz. He’s been sending photographs of North American ducks, one species per week, and your job is to guess that species. Here’s a common one, and look at the pictures before guessing. If you go below the fold, you’ll get the ID, […]
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