While summer may seem like a far-off notion to some, spring migration has begun. My computer was being serviced, so some forced off-line activity had me at High Park after that unexpected snowfall the other day — you know, the snow after we had moved into t-shirt weather. If you’re not from the area, know that Toronto isn’t like the rest of Canada. Early spring flowers should be trying to poke their heads up out of last year’s leaves and dirt; instead, while the pussy willows are out, only a few trees are just starting to bud.
The air was crisp, a little snow was falling and, there, a splash of colour on the pond! Wood ducks! The males were splendid as usual, vying for the attention of the ladies. They squeaked and chattered, splashed and chased. And they are used to people well enough in this location that if you are still, they will come close to shore and allow for some lovely portraits. They are low-lying fruit as far as getting interesting bird shots. All you need is patience, a camera, and a seat at the edge of the water.
And … just a note to those who subscribe. We had a wee problem with the server the other day, which resulted in a few recent posts being nuked. I recreated them from a saved document, so everything is back — except some kind comments left behind. As well, they will likely be included in this week’s weekly notification, so, no, you aren’t experiencing deja vu if something looks familiar.
This fellow came in very close and I was lucky that he turned his face into the lighting. Further away, those beautiful blues and purples are seen as black, but here, we can see the lovely detail of the colour and texture.
This fellow is in pursuit of a female. He gave her a nip, now is chasing her. As aggressive as he appears, the female seems to have the power in this relationship. When they pair up, males can be seen following the females wherever they go. She wants to go this way, he follows; she wants that way, no problem.
If a nip and chase don’t have the desired result, how about a demonstration of good posture and maybe some fluffing of those head feathers? This is accompanied by some appropriate words of love.
“Get a room!”
The object of desire.
It’s very difficult to get close to cormorants. I was pretty still beside the water, so there were lots of ducks and swans swimming close to me and I guess the cormorant figured it was safe. A moment later, however, he caught a glimpse of something on the shore that wasn’t a shrub and skedaddled.
It wasn’t only the males doing the preening.
These two seemed to have made a connection. They paddled around the area for a while then continued down the shoreline together.
While in the Canadian area of the zoo recently, I sat along the pond for a while. Purple Martins were in a nesting box in the middle and I noticed other bird houses with much larger openings. I knew that Wood Ducks nest in tree cavities so wondered if these were intended as homes for them. A few minutes later, I looked back and saw a pair of Wood Ducks underneath this one, so I’m guessing, yes. It will be interesting to return there during the spring.