Nature Note #136: A Wood Duck in Winter

After dealing with the piles of snow that have graced New England the past fortnight, my girlfriend Alison and I went to check out two Mass Audubon sanctuaries south of Boston. We first toured the Sharon Beals exhibit at the Museum of American Bird Art in Canton, where the exhibit featured the photographers portraits of birds nests from all over the world. We looked at each of the nests lining the walls of the art gallery as they portrayed the many ways birds build nests ranging from the neat weavings of sparrows and thrushes, to the simple depressions of shorebirds, and then to the macabre stick and bone nest of the House Wren (Troglodytes aedon). This sometimes horrid, little songbird has the nasty habit of taking over the nests of other songbirds and will even pierce the eggs and kill the chicks inside to secure the nest site for themselves. The nest in the photograph, set on black to show the subtle details that had gone into each nest, was lined with the dessicated remains of the wren's victims as well as their usual practice of hoarding sticks in a claustrophobic cavity that would make even the most ardent players of "pick up sticks" quit at the sight of it. 

After looking at the pictures and making the decision not to trudge through the snowy trails, Alison suggested we check out the captive wildlife enclosures at the Blue Hills Trailside Museum Wildlife Sanctuary in Milton, just up the road. The rush hour traffic was just starting to pick up, but we made the journey nonetheless. Many of these captive animals were likely injured or imprinted upon humans early in their lives and were prevented from living freely in the wild. By keeping them in captivity, they are allowed to live while serving as "ambassadors" for the general public to get an up close appreciation for them.

Before we toured around the exclosures, we were confronted by some friendly Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) who looked cold and hungry. While I know that they possess all the adaptations necessary to survive outside in the cold, they were still acclimated to receiving food from friendly humans. I counted about 70-80 of them congregated in one spot, but a smaller duck resting on the nearby snow bank caught my eye. Unlike the Mallards, it was mousy brown, with a white eyering and wing markings, pale speckles on the belly, an indigo speculum, and a fluffy crest at the back of the head. We were without a doubt, looking at a female Wood Duck (Aix sponsa).

As she nestled into the bushes, the Mallards around her were engaging in an unusual feeding behavior. While it is well know Mallards and a majority of other dabblers are omnivorous, these ducks were getting their meal from an unlikely source. They were nipping the buds off of the bare branches of the shrubs! It was intriguing to watch them crane their necks and even bounce a few inches off of the snow to reach their small morsels. Even the Wood Duck gave it a try, but was bullied out of the way by the larger ducks.

After seeing what was at the feeders nearby (not much), we walked up to the first exclosure featuring an immature Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). My camera decided the focus on the bars of the exclosure rather than the animal inside and so, if the photo looks blurry, it was because my camera thought I was more interesting in the infrastructure keeping the cages together than the regal raptor contained within.

My favorite animal that we saw was a North American river otter (Lontra canadensis) that looked as if it were made of pure liquid. It glided through the water in a manner that I don't think I've ever seen another animal do so. It was a svelte torpedo that commanded its journey through the water without difficulty. It was perfectly evolved for a life in the water and it displayed this adaptation with zeal. What was most impressive was when it would get to the end of its pool and then do a back flip! It was so surprising to see, that the first few times I saw it do so, I couldn't take any photos of it. It was beguiling. Eventually I did get one photo. One blurry photo, but it captured the smoothness with which this animals comfort within its watery home was apparent.

Other animals of note were a majestic pair of Snowy Owls (Bubo scandiacus) that seemed to be relishing for all the snow that had been delivered as of late, while the nearby Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) and Red-tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) looked less enamoured as they stood on perches high up in their cages. Alison remarked disgust at seeing one eject some scat out of its rear as I was photographing the nearby Turkey Vulture.

We moved on to the Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) enclosure where the beautiful vulpine rested in a ball of orange-gray fur. It seemed to sleep soundly before our loud footsteps caused it to awaken suddenly. We exchanged a gaze with one another before it got up for a scratch n' stretch.

"We are not amused..."

I remarked that, "It's as if evolution said, what would happen if you made a dog more cat-like and this is what you got."

Alison smiled in agreement. We watched its antics for a few more moments before turning to leave before we got stuck in too much traffic on the way home. As we were leaving, we watched the otter in its deep pool. It was still doing the flips it had done before and swam happily all over its watery domain. It was one of the best parts of the day. 

As we headed to the parking lot, we talked about when we would see each other next. It's hard when one of us is working while the other is waiting for the spring outdoor education season to start, but I was thankful that we were able to have gotten to see each other after the snow had separated us for so long. Hopefully we will be able to go on another adventure together very soon.