The Missus and I have been haunting the Dutch Gap Conservation Area for quite a while now. I cannot count the number of times I would go onto an observation deck at the edge of the old river channel wetlands and have another birder say, "There were a pair of wood ducks here a minute ago! They just swam off to the far side behind those reeds."
Finally, today, I got lucky. This pair of wood ducks - a notoriously shy species, which is why those other birders would tell me about their luck - was hanging out on a tiny little island, right in front of the observation deck! The male stopped grooming long enough for me to get this shot.
