Wood Duck

The male Wood Ducks at North Pond recently molted to their "colors" just in time for Halloween. The males have interesting and beautiful markings to begin with, but when all their feathers are new, they are just so much more intriguing.

A pair of Wood Ducks at North Pond

This one is sitting so quietly that it
seems like a decoy instead of a real bird.

The females don't get the colors and patterns that the males do,
but they do get some eye make-up to give that "come hither" look.

I guess the new feathers are still itchy!

P.S. My Apologies -- I've been watching and photographing the birds more than posting. I have lots of bird photos from the Autumn Migration that I will be getting to this site.