Stan Tekiela’s NatureSmart Column – Ruddy Ducks
When I go out to photograph wildlife, I usually have a specific species of critter in mind. The best images are typically the ones that I envision ahead of time, then carefully plan and execute. There isn’t anything left to chance. I make sure that I go to the spots or areas where the species is most abundant, and I go at the time of year when I can expect to see the critter in good numbers. I also make sure to go at the time of day the critter is most active. This usually involves knowing the critter’s biology, habits, food preferences, and so much more.
I think it’s a common misconception that wildlife photographers just wander around, hoping to get lucky. Or they stand in the woods for hours and hours waiting for something to transpire right in front of them. Honestly, this might work, but the odds are very low. The best photographers are focused, pun not intended, on a specific species and are actively working to obtain an image.
Having said that, every now and then, while I’m out trying to photograph a specific species, another unrelated species presents itself. This is exactly what happened this spring. I was out photographing western grebes—a bird that requires planning just to see it, let alone photograph it—when a duck species that I normally don’t see was busy courting a female nearby. It was a ruddy duck (Oxyura jamaicensis).
The ruddy duck is one of six species of “stiff-tailed ducks” in the genus Oxyura. They are found in North and South America. They breed mostly in the western half of the country, extending as far east as the Great Lakes. Their common name comes from the rusty red breeding plumage of the male.
It is a small, round, compact duck. The male is rusty or chestnut brown with a striking black cap and white cheeks. One of the most outstanding features is the male’s large, bright-blue bill. It also has a set of dark, nearly black, stiff tail feathers that it cocks straight up while swimming around and displaying. Only a handful of duck species have these specialized tail feathers, and the ruddy is the only one in North America. While I’m at it, I mentioned this bird’s large sky-blue bill. Hunters commonly refer to lesser and greater scaups as blue bills. If there was a species that should be called blue bill, it’s the ruddy duck! Just one look at the male and you will understand what I’m saying.
Similar to the feathers of blue jays and bluebirds, there isn’t any blue pigment in the bill of the male. In spring, hormones cause the growth of a thin layer of cells over the dark bill. These cells, along with the dark layer below, absorb all the wavelengths of sunlight and reflect back to our eyes only the blue color light. As a result, we see a blue bill.
While I was out photographing, I noticed a single male ruddy duck and one female near the edge of the cattails. The male was busy showing off to the female. Male ruddy ducks perform a very distinct and unusual drumming of their lower bill (mandible) against their chest feathers. The duck hits its bill on its chest hard enough to produce a “drumming” sound. The physical act of drumming its lower bill against its chest also sends a torrent of bubbles in the water, right in front of the displaying male. This display is known as “bubbling.”
It is not very common to see ruddy ducks flying. They migrate during the night, and they don’t fly around much during the day; however, I got lucky enough to see this lone male ruddy duck take a couple of laps around the wetland before coming back and landing. Ruddies don’t fly very high, but they fly fast. Combine that with the fact that they are very small ducks, and you see how they’re challenging subjects for capturing images in flight.
This male took flight three times, each time flying far enough away for me to lose sight of it. After a few minutes, it would come flying back in like a rocket. It would cruise just above the cattails; when it reached open water, it would drop down and fly directly over the water. This allowed me to capture some fabulous, eye-level images of this most remarkable duck in flight. Sometimes you go out specifically to capture one species and come home with something completely different. This is one of the joys of wildlife photography. Until next time…
Stan Tekiela is an author, naturalist, and wildlife photographer who travels extensively to capture images of wildlife. He can be contacted through his website www.naturesmart.com.
If you enjoyed Stan’s post, you might also like: Cranes, Herons & Egrets; Bird Migration: The Incredible Journeys of North American Birds; Wild Birds: North America’s Most Unique Birds; Bald Eagles: The Ultimate Raptors; Owls: The Majestic Hunters; Hummingbirds: Marvels of the Bird World; and, for little tykes, his series of Mamas & Babies board books.
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