Ruddy Duck and friend

October 5, 2018 by Mike Powell

I spotted this little Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis) all by itself on Wednesday morning at the far end of Painted Turtle Pond at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. He must have been feeling a little lonely, however, and tried to strike up a conversation with the mallard decoy that is a permanent feature at this pond. The mallard remained silent.

I was trying to capture a shot of the Ruddy Duck by itself, as in the second image, but I like the eye contact in the first image so much that I decided to make it my lead photo for the posting. The shot simply makes me smile.

Have a wonderful Friday.

Posted in Autumn, Birds, Humor, Nature, Photography, wildlife | Tagged Canon SX50, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Oxyura jamaicensis, Ruddy Duck, Woodbridge VA | 7 Comments

7 Responses

on October 5, 2018 at 6:51 pm | Reply joyroses13

So sweet. 🙂
on October 6, 2018 at 4:58 pm | Reply Molly Lin Dutina

Yes that first image is a keeper. Maybe send it to the decoy manufacturer!
on October 7, 2018 at 7:35 am | Reply nliakos

I agree…. The first image is really special, an interspecies encounter.
- on October 7, 2018 at 3:16 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Nina. On a more serious note, it really is fun to watch the interaction between species. Sometimes they are amazingly tolerant of the presence of other species, but will chase off members of their own.
on October 7, 2018 at 10:18 pm | Reply yvrwalkswithnature

The look of loneliness is really visible.
- on October 8, 2018 at 5:33 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  I am often guilty of imputing human emotions in my subjects. It may not always be accurate, but it helps to remind me that each wild creature is an individual, and not merely a faceless representative of its species. 🙂
  - on October 8, 2018 at 5:47 am yvrwalkswithnature
    
    100% agree with you, Mike!, that each animal is an individual and love reading between their unspoken lines. 😊