black-bellied whistling duck

Those Family Ties

~ shoreacres ~ 49 Comments

While the Horseshoe Lake trail looping through the Attwater Prairie Chicken Refuge can be rich in wildflowers, the lake itself attracts a wide variety of birds.

During my visit on March 19, I found this group of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks (Dendrocygna autumnalis) cruising the lake. Watching them, I began to suspect I’d come across  a mother and her grown-up ducklings enjoying the spring day. The behavior of the group of six — following their mother in a single line, or surrounding her in a group when she called — was what I would have expected from a group of fresh-from-the-egg hatchlings.

Last September, I found a Whistling Duck mother teaching her six ducklings how to navigate Horseshoe Lake. While I can’t prove that the ducks I found last weekend are the same — albeit all grown up — no one can convince me they aren’t. In any event, they certainly seemed to be enjoying one another’s company, and I enjoyed theirs.

 

Comments always are welcome.

Father’s Day on Olney Pond

~ shoreacres ~ 57 Comments

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks (Dendrocygna autumnalis) form life-long pair bonds, and this couple has their wings full with fourteen young ones to keep watch over.

The ducklings had roamed away from their parents as they fed, but when it was time to move toward the shelter of the grasses and reeds, the mother and father lined them up like a group of kindergartners on a field trip. With such attentive parents and such a nice pond to live in, more than a few of these babies probably will survive.

 

Comments always are welcome.

The Whistlers of Brazos Bend

~ shoreacres ~ 62 Comments

 

Black-bellied whistling ducks (Dendrocygna autumnalis) are described by the Cornell birding site as ‘boisterous,’ and a better word couldn’t be chosen. Whether in flight or calling to one another from the treetops, their loud, piercing whistle is unmistakable, and their tendency to form large groups only increases the racket.

Although they will nest on the ground, their preference for nesting in tree cavities and perching on open branches makes them relatively easy to spot. Their brightly colored bills often can be seen even when the birds are hidden away in reeds or grasses.

At Brazos Bend, the few dead and dying tree trees allowed to stand at the edge of Elm Lake provided a resting spot for these birds after a night of foraging among the abundant lotuses, duckweed, and smartweed.

Seen at close range, these large, colorful ducks are among my favorites: their appearance seems as bold and brash as their behavior. Their breeding range extends somewhat to the north, but they can be found throughout the year in coastal Texas: a fact that pleases me greatly.

 

Comments always are welcome.

May Babies

~ shoreacres ~ 48 Comments
Female black-bellied whistling duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis) and ducklings

The first time I noticed this mother duck, she was resting on a bank at the Lafitte’s Cove pond on Galveston Island with all seven of her ducklings tucked beneath her wings.

After a time, as she led them to the water for a swim, the father arrived to stand guard while they splashed, chased one another, and fed on the greens just under the surface of the water.

I found it hard to photograph the active ducklings in a single group because of their constant scattering and diving, but even a single duckling makes a worthy subject, especially when it seems to have crowned itself Queen (or perhaps King) of the May.

 

Comments always are welcome.