One of my favourite ducks to photograph is the wood duck. Generally, wood ducks are found in deep ponds in heavy forest, and I find they are very skittish, taking flight quickly when they perceive a threat. As a result, they are challenging to photograph. Last week, however, I was fortunate to encounter a male wood duck, in “eclipse” plumage, amongst a group of mallards near the shore of Lake Ontario, by the Lasalle Marina in Burlington. I have no idea what he was doing there, but he provided an excellent opportunity for photographs. I had also encountered a solo male wood duck at this same location, amongst mallards, in May. I don’t know if it was the same bird. (For more duck photographs, see the Gallery entitled Ducks.)
