The sun was setting on a warm afternoon by the time I arrived home. Although the lake was still frozen, and there were several inches of snow in the forecast, I took advantage of temporarily bare, dry trails for a short walk.
Soggy leaves and green moss were my most interesting observations until I emerged into the clearing around what will soon be a frog pond. Ice still locked up the tangle of alder stems in the center of the pond, but black water reflected twiggy treetops around the margin.
As I approached, an explosion of sound and movement from the far side made me smile and think of Christmas. That’s an odd association for early spring, but the rising woooo-eeek calls of wood ducks have always reminded me of the sound that scissors make when I run them along the red and green curling ribbon while wrapping presents. The shimmering green head and other bright colors on the male wood duck reinforce that association for me.
But listening to a pair of wood ducks explode from a tiny patch of open water in a woodland pond and woo-eek through the woods is a distinctly springtime experience. Wood ducks are uniquely adapted for life in the forest, with strong claws on their webbed toes that allow them to perch on tree branches. Their short, narrow bill is adapted to picking up acorns and other seeds—which their gizzard can grind up—and foraging for the starchy bulbs of wetland plants. They also eat plenty of aquatic insects, especially when young.
Scaring up a pair of wood ducks together is common, because these ducks find a mate on their wintering grounds and arrive home together. The male sticks around until all the eggs are laid and then takes off. In the southern part of U.S., that might happen in February, but up here, nesting can take place through June.
As far as I know, I’ve never had a pair of wood ducks nest near this little frog pond, but their cavity nests are not always easy to find. They usually choose a tree more than 2 feet in diameter, with a hole where a broken branch fell off and heart rot excavated a cozy space.
Once a nest cavity is chosen, the female will lay one egg per day for 6 to 15 days, and then, once they are all ready, she begins incubating them. This synchronizes development within the eggs so that the chicks hatch at about the same time. After just a day in the nest, the chicks are ready for action. They use their clawed toes to climb up the inside of the nest cavity, then perch with trepidation on the rim for their first view of the big, wide world. You’ve probably seen videos of the downy fluffballs bravely leaping out of their nest cavity and windmilling tiny wing nubbins on their 60-foot fall to the ground. Ideally, Mom and Dad will have chosen a nest with a water landing, but soft leaf litter works fine, too.
In some cases, 20, 30, or 40 chicks may emerge from a single nest! It’s not possible for all of those chicks to belong to one female, they are a result of egg dumping. Sometimes a female wood duck who couldn’t find a cavity of her own, or lost her nest to a predator or in a storm, or who is young and inexperienced may lay her eggs in the nest of another wood duck. Sometimes a duck with her own nest will spread some eggs around to hedge against failure in her own nest.
With such specific requirements for a nest cavity, it’s easy to understand why there might not be enough to go around. That’s why many people build and install wood duck nest boxes. You’ve probably seen these big plastic or wooden structures on metal poles or attached to trees over the water. Along with protections against overhunting, these nest boxes have allowed wood duck populations to recover from seriously low numbers in the early 20th century. Habitat protection, and an increase in beaver numbers and beaver ponds also helped with their recovery.
Nest boxes mounted on metal poles replace absent tree cavities and reduce the number of predators who can eat the eggs and chicks, but nest boxes are not without risk. When nest boxes are placed out in the open and close together, egg dumping becomes more common. But one female can’t effectively incubate a whole pile of eggs, and not all may survive. She may even become overwhelmed and just give up, resulting in the loss of a lot of potential reproduction.
Nest boxes that are tucked away and spread out to a more natural density in the habitat are the most valuable for wood duck conservation. And a pair who finds a naturally well-hidden nest cavity is the luckiest of all.
Turning back toward my own house in the gray of evening, I wished my frog pond pair well in their search for a home.
Emily’s award-winning second book, Natural Connections: Dreaming of an Elfin Skimmer, is available to purchase at www.cablemuseum.org/books and at your local independent bookstore, too.
For more than 50 years, the Cable Natural History Museum has served to connect you to the Northwoods. Our Summer Calendar is open for registration! The Museum is closed for construction until May 1. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and cablemuseum.org to see what we are up to.
Last Update: Apr 02, 2025 12:01 am CDT
