The Wood Ducks, or Maned Wood Ducks as they are often called, mostly hang out at the big dam, as the magpies shoo them off the small dam below the house.
But the other day the maggie sentinels must have been on a break, for I spotted the handsome couple pecking about in the grass on the bank.
By the time I got there with the camera, they’d taken flight. I waited as they wheeled about and headed down to land on the water.
I snapped this shot of the female as she hit the water, her mane feathers fluffed and her wings not yet folded back down.
Because her mane is brown like her head it’s usually not as noticeable as her partner’s black one.
Overall, she has the soft patterning while he gets the smart tuxedo look.