Mallard hen, early morning stretch.
#MallardHen #BirdPhotography #NatureLovers #WildlifePhotography #BirdWatching #FeatheredFriends #StretchingWings #AvianBeauty #NatureInFocus #WildlifeConservation

Mallard Hen and her male Wood Duck beau strolling through the woods, Bond Park, Cary, North Carolina. The female Mallard is in the foreground, in profile, neck straight up, head forward coming from the left side of the frame, looking at the right side of the frame . The smaller, more colorful male wood duck is behind her, but a little forward of her, showing his face, eye and a small bit of his body framed by her neck and bill. He appears to be talking. He's out of focus, but big details are still discernible. There are two tree trunks in the background, extremely out of focus.

"So, honey, I was thinking... maybe we hit the pond for lunch?"

Mallard Hen and her male Wood Duck beau strolling through the woods, Bond Park, Cary, North Carolina.

#WoodDuck #Birds #BirdPhotography #WildlifePhotography #BirdsofNorthCarolina #naturePhotography #MallardHen #BondParkCary

She's My Baby! Wood Duck and his Mallard Love The two birds are on a slanted rooftop, the edge of which runs diagonally across the frame from the upper right corner, to the lower middle of the frame. The wood duck is the focus point, at the lower center of the frame, while his Mallard Hen sweetie is above him in the upper right center of the frame. The wood dock has his mouth open, as if he's talking, and the morning sun is highlighting the iridescent green patch at the top of his head and his striking red eye(s). I headed out early yesterday morning to Bond Park in Cary, NC to see if I could photos of the wood duck that has been living there for the past few weeks. With an assist from a helpful park employee, I was able to find the colorful little guy and his sweetie - a mallard hen. Turns out that wood ducks and mallards do occasionally interbreed, though the offspring aren't fertile. I followed up the happy couple around for a bit, as did a confused and unhappy Mallard Drake, who couldn't figure out why she'd choose a colorful little number like the Wood Duck over a big boulder Mallard male like himself. Every so often, the mallard would get too close, and the Wood Duck would run him off. And after a little bit, the Mallard Hen would start quacking, demanding that her beau come back to her. At which point, the Wood Duck would obediently come waddling back to her so they could continue their walk in the woods.

She's My Baby! Wood Duck and His Mallard Love

I followed the happy couple around for a bit (interbreeding happens), as did a frustrated Mallard Drake, who the Wood Duck kept chasing off.

#WoodDuck #Birds #BirdPhotography #WildlifePhotography #BirdsofNorthCarolina #naturePhotography #MallardHen

Such a sweet face, right? No. She got tackled by a Cooper's Hawk and she beat it up. Utterly thrashed it. Then she shouted all the way to the pond, dove in, and did the get-tall-and-flap-wings display while I hurled profanities at it. I am certain we impressed all of the neighbors. #MallardHen