Wood Duck

The male Wood Duck is arguably the most colourful duck in the world; its iridescent,
green head with white markings, its crest and its narrow red-and-white bill are
unmistakable. Although less brightly coloured, the female is one of the most attrac-
tively marked of the female ducks. Watch for Wood Ducks on any wooded lake or
slough including Lost Lagoon and Beaver Lake in Stanley Park.
As the name implies, Wood Ducks are often found in trees, and their toes possess
sharp claws that help them grip tree branches and snags. They nest in tree cavities and
nest boxes, and within hours of hatching, the young use their sharp claws to climb up
the inside of their home and jump onto the ground. At one nest site in Stanley Park,
a pair of Wood Ducks used a natural crevice high up in a Douglas-fir. On hatching,
the ducklings fell 16 metres, bounced unscathed and quickly waddled after their
mother to nearby Beaver Lake.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Red-necked Grebes

Image
Red-necked Grebes spend each autumn and winter foraging in the salty marine waters off Vancouver. In the spring, they move inland to breed in freshwater lakes as far away as Alaska or Saskatchewan. Good places to observe these birds are from the Iona Island South Jetty and from the Stanley Park seawall, especially in September and April. Here, you can observe them diving below the surface of the water for sculpins, Pacific herring, minnows, shrimp and other aquatic animals.
Read more

Black Swift

The Black Swift is the largest North American swift, and it also outsizes all swallows in the Vancouver area. One of the positive aspects of approaching summer storms in Vancouver is that the low pressure systems force this bird low over the city where it catches flying insects. During warm, clear days, it is a challenging bird to locate because it forages at such a height that it appears as a mere speck against the blue sky. This bird breeds in B.C. but because it nests on remote, moist, rocky crevices only a few nesting sites have been confirmed. Black Swifts appear to time nesting so that their young can take advantage of the abundance of flying ants available in August and early September.
Read more

Black-bellied Plover

You will have to travel south of the city to the mudflats and fields of the Fraser River delta to see a Black-bellied Plover. Plan your visit at high tide when the plovers are pushed closer to shore. You may hear the plaintive pee-u-wee calls that help to keep flocks loosely together. Black-bellied Plovers are most common during migratory periods from late April through early May and from early August through September. Up to 1000 birds may remain over winter, but they are generally difficult to find. Like many other shorebirds, the Black-bellied Plover feeds in a typical stop-run-pick manner. On its arctic breeding ground it feeds mainly on insects, but its diet expands to include worms, small clams and crustaceans during migration.
Read more