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16 Replies | Page 1 of 11 | Top of Page | Bottom of Page

spring ducks are in full color

by 4yaks , Posted to Fishing Buddy on 04/18/2009 09:27 AM | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |
4yaks

Joined: 08/31/2006
Location: ND
The migration has finally reached us here in Stanley.  The last week the sky has been full of geese, cranes, ducks, and swans.  I happen to be on a roofing job between some WPAs and the south end of lostwood refuge.  The geese and ducks come in so low over the house we could swat them down with a broom.  Surrounding the area are hundreds of meltwater sloughs full of mating ducks in full color.  My son and I are having fun trying to identify all the different types we see.  Pintails, mallards, shovelers, green wing teal, seem to fill every slough.  The colors are so vivid on the drakes on the sunny days they just about glow.  Have yet to see any red heads or canvasbacks, and no blue bills (scaup) yet.  My dad working out at his place near Ross, saw a flock of swans tuesday but couldn't tell me if they were tundras or trumpeters.  A lot of tundra swans move through here in the fall I would assume it was a small group of them.  
    A beautiful side show of two hawks mating yesterday on the way home.  They would clutch each others feet and spiral to the ground where they would sit with wings out  and heads up.  We watched for 5 min as they did this several times, when we tried to get a picture with the phone they flew off as we got too close for comfort.  They were small grey birds with black wing tips.  We see them often catching mice in the hay fields but I dont know what kind they are exactly.
4Yaks
Re: spring ducks are in full color
by rooster on 04/18/2009 09:51 AM | Reply #1 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |
rooster
Joined: 12/16/2001
Location: ND
I agree with you, the spring migration is always a site to behold.  If I knew anything about wildlife photography I would be out taking pictures of waterfowl in full plumage.  As much as I don't care for Shovelers in the fall when I'm out hunting, they are one of our better looking ducks in the spring.
Re: spring ducks are in full color
by 4yaks on 04/18/2009 10:04 AM | Reply #2 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |
4yaks
Joined: 08/31/2006
Location: ND
After doing a little research on the web the hawks we saw were Northern harrier hawks and it appears they were both males, all grey with black wing tips.  So much for the theory they were mating, more like fighting maybe?  Really intense whatever it was.
4Yaks
Re: spring ducks are in full color
by 4yaks on 04/18/2009 10:23 AM | Reply #3 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |
4yaks
Joined: 08/31/2006
Location: ND
Rooster, you know the ones I miss the most are the woodies.   North of Duluth where I grew up we had a family of wood ducks hatch out in a dead tree in our back yard every year.  Our springer would herd the ducklings through the yard like a sheep dog to the swamp in back of our neighbors place.  The drakes are really gorgeous, but the only place I've seen woodies here, were in the Turtle mts. around lake Metigoshi
4Yaks
Re: spring ducks are in full color
by rooster on 04/18/2009 5:10 PM | Reply #4 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |
rooster
Joined: 12/16/2001
Location: ND

I know that a lot of the little creeks in the Red River Valley have wood ducks, spring and fall.  I grew up 40 miles NW of Fargo and have been fortunate enough to shoot two wood ducks in my life and wouldn't you know it they were both hens. 
Re: spring ducks are in full color
by cynical on 04/18/2009 5:18 PM | Reply #5 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |
cynical
Joined: 10/27/2004
Location: ND
Where is the best place around Bismarck to view wood ducks?  
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Re: spring ducks are in full color
by Horsager on 04/18/2009 5:34 PM | Reply #6 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |
Horsager
Joined: 08/12/2003
Location: ND
Used to see them in Sertoma park and down on the adjacent river backwaters.  Along
Apple Creek is another likley spot.
..............THIS SPACE FOR RENT..............
Re: spring ducks are in full color
by 4yaks on 04/18/2009 6:50 PM | Reply #7 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |
4yaks
Joined: 08/31/2006
Location: ND
Just got back from a drive that looped from Stanley to White earth bay up to White earth dam and back.  Lots of ducks in the flooded fields, more pintails, mallards, spoons, and the surprise was 200 or so canvasbacks about 5 miles south of powers lake.  Sally got all excited when she spotted a pair of blue birds near white earth dam which was ice free!  A flock of pelicans were on the bank at white earth bay but the Sak was still iced over except near the shore.  So my dads sighting may have been pelicans and not swans. 
4Yaks
Re: spring ducks are in full color
by Allen on 04/18/2009 7:32 PM | Reply #8 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |
Allen
Joined: 01/09/2002
Location: ND
3X,

There are wood ducks along River Road as well.  Not many, but there are a few.

I especially like the big old drake canvasbacks this time of year.  Sure stand out in the water.
“Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it.” ~ Mark Twain
Re: spring ducks are in full color
by SP180 on 04/19/2009 08:15 AM | Reply #9 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |
SP180
Joined: 12/22/2006
Location: ND
I drove from GF to DL yesterday and here is a list of everything that i saw.

Mallards
Pintails
Shovelers
Canvasbacks
Ross Geese
Snows
Swans
Ruddies
One Teal
Canadians
I think a few Blue Bills
Sharptail
One pheseant

Not a bad day. It is truly a sight and it gets the blood going for this fall.

Re: spring ducks are in full color
by murdock1978 on 04/19/2009 09:24 AM | Reply #10 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |
murdock1978
Joined: 07/12/2003
Location: ND
Re: spring ducks are in full color
by murdock1978 on 04/19/2009 09:28 AM | Reply #11 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |
murdock1978
Joined: 07/12/2003
Location: ND
Took that picture thu my living window.Think its a female wood duck.She had some blue tint on her  wings-I think-She was checking out my box Elder tree in my front yard.She had no problem climbing around the tree branches,maybe looking for a good nesting spot???
Re: spring ducks are in full color
by Starhunter on 04/19/2009 3:28 PM | Reply #12 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |
Starhunter
Joined: 05/28/2002
Location: ND
The Woody's are here, I looked out my window this morning and had three drakes and a hen on my shore.  Two of the drakes took off and the lucky drake and the hen flew up into the trees.

The hen was looking all around and then flew over to one of my houses and latched on to the hole and took a look inside, she was obviously house hunting and the drake obviously knows if the woman is happy he is too.  She then flew to the north end of my yard where there are two more houses and once again latched on to the enterance, she then went inside for about five minutes and flew away.

Unlike Bobkat, who cleaned his houses a while ago, I have not; now I don't know if I should or not, what do you think?
 
I gaurantee you will see wood ducks if you drive from Pioneer Park, on River Road in Bismarck, to about a mile south of Double Ditch.  The old Burnt Creek follows River Road and if you drive slow and look through the trees you will see them, further north they are along the highway, both in the open and wooded ditches that have water.
Re: spring ducks are in full color
by 4yaks on 05/17/2009 11:17 PM | Reply #13 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |
4yaks
Joined: 08/31/2006
Location: ND
Saw 4 pairs of woodies south of Trenton on the willow bars and back channels of the Missouri.  Finally saw a pair of gadwalls last week and that was about the last of what I expected to see this spring.  The Only duck I didnt see this spring was a black duck but I havent seen or shot any in years.  Seeing good numbers of pintails, red heads, and canvasbacks, blue wing teal are everywhere as well as shovelers, but mallards seem in short supply and blue bills are about normal.  I would say barring any major dry spell this will be a good year for duck production.
4Yaks
Re: spring ducks are in full color
by bobkat on 05/18/2009 07:16 AM | Reply #14 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |
bobkat
Joined: 12/16/2001
Location: ND
3X, we have dozens of woodies out here if you want to come out and poke around.   The only duck we haven't seen on our pond this year is Cinnamon Teal, though a buddy saw one not to far away.  
Won't see too many woody hens now as our nesting boxes are pretty well full.  Ducklings in a couple of weeks or so.  
Found a dead woody in spring plumage the other day, so I rescued him for fly fishing feathers.  He was too beat up to mount - don't know what did him in. 
Re: spring ducks are in full color
by Dirty. on 05/18/2009 09:26 AM | Reply #15 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |
Dirty.
Joined: 11/09/2007
Location: ND
Swine Flu! I mean Bird Flu! Or a mixture of the two that is sure to be a virulent strain so deadly it will cause a worldwide pandemic!!!!!!!!!!!
Re: spring ducks are in full color
by bobkat on 05/18/2009 10:09 AM | Reply #16 | "Quote" | "Quick Reply" |
bobkat
Joined: 12/16/2001
Location: ND
Guess I've had it anyway, Dirty, so went out and filled my wood duck feeder with corn contaminated with some mouse doo doo and breathed a bit of that to get the hantavirus icing on the cake!  
16 Replies | Page 1 of 11 | Top of Page | Bottom of Page
Posted By: 4yaks
Posted On: 04/18/2009 09:27 AM
622 Views, 16 Comments

Tags: full, ducks, color, spring, swans, geese, stanley, finally, last, migration
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Region: North Dakota

Categories: Outdoor Sports > Bird Watching
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