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.

Wood Duck

Wood Ducks have great plumage - like an abstract interpretation of a duck. This one was just enjoying the afternoon at Jarvis Migratory Bird Sanctuary.

Bird migration is picking up around here. Chicago has a program called Lights Out Chicago that encourages owners/managers of high-rise buildings to dim their lights during the spring and fall migrations so birds don't collide with the buildings during their night flights. There is also a group called the Chicago Bird Collision Monitors that works to rescue stunned (or exhausted) birds and educate people on how to make it safer for birds to migrate through Chicago. Their slogan is "Helping Migratory Birds Safely Navigate the Loop". Their website has information on what to do if you find an injured bird.