The Wood Duck

Lessons from nature.

The wood duck is the most beautiful ducks in North America, if not the world. Its brilliant colors make it stand out from any other duck. The coloring of the male wood duck’s head is an effervescent green, bright red eyes and a distinct white line on both sides of the head. The throat of the wood duck is white while the rest of the plumage is a dark brown with distinctive white lines running the length of the body. 

The wood duck lives in swamps, marshes and shallow lakes. They are one of the few ducks that nest in trees or boxes. Sometimes they will make their nests up to a half a mile from the water. Each nest will have nine to fourteen eggs in it. There are times when there can be twice that amount. A day after the ducklings hatch they make their way to the edge of the nest and jump out falling to the ground or water below. They have been known to jump as high as two hundred and ninety feet with out getting hurt.

One day a number a few years back I was sitting next to a pond  that had been built by the engineering work of some beavers. Due to their work there were a number of dead trees standing in the middle of the pond. I would go there often to watch the wildlife that lived in and around the pond. There was a blue heron rookery there as well as homes to a number of other birds.

 As I sat there I observed a wood duck fly to one of the dead trees. It land on the edge of a hole that had been bored into the tree and disappeared inside the tree. A few days later I returned to the pond to see if I could get a glimpse of the wood duck again or maybe even see the baby ducklings. It turns out that I had picked the right time. Because as I sat there and watched the hole where the wood duck had disappeared little heads began to pop up. The ducklings then began to jump out of the nest to the water below where the mother duck was waiting. It had to be a good fifty to sixty-foot drop to the water. It was like watching a Disney nature film. One of those rare things you see in life. I watched as the last one dropped and they all gathered about as the mother duck called out to them

A day after the duckling hatches it takes the big jump into world. In the early days of its life it will face many dangers. The duckling could be swallowed by a large mouth bass or eaten by another predator. But still it takes that leap and begins it’s life.

How often in life does one prefer to stay holed up in their little world little world afraid to take that leap into the world and to see what it has to offer. Afraid to face the obstacles and problems of life sometimes bring. Preferring to hide in their little world with out venturing out. They miss all the excitement and wonderful things that life can bring. They worry so much about the negative that they miss all the positive things in life.

 

Reviews

[T]

I found your story to be truly informative, beautiful and inspiring, Tim ... We can learn a lot from our feathered friends ... Wonderfully written! hugs