Hi you'll, It ain't easy being a Black-bellied Whistling Duck and trying to raise a family in real life. Last year we had a pair of BBWD's with 12 ducklings. By the end of the season there was one parent duck and one duckling surviving. Illness,gators, herons, egrets, & ospreys take a harsh and rapid toll on them. This year we had two parents with 24 ducklings 3 weeks ago. As of this week the parents and only 9 ducklings survive.
Incredible images Harry These are fantastic for sure great job I love every one.. Kudos to you keep us posted on how the clan survives the next couple of weeks
Harry - These are wonderful images. I've never seen these ducks, so if the timing is right on my next trip to Florida I hope you will be my tour guide. Gordon
Mother Nature can certainly be a harsh mistress. Here's hoping that all of this little family makes it. :Wink: Nice shots. :smile:
Those are beautiful ducks...I've never seen any so colorful before! The little ones look like bumblebees! Hope they make it. If Disney had done it, they'd have killed off the mother no later than the first act (think Snow White, Cinderella, Belle, Pocahontas....all motherless....I think Walt Disney had issues :biggrin: ) Keep us updated on their progress!
Nice shots, Harry! Thanks for the update on the family. Odds of survival for a species that spends most of it's time on the water in a place with lots of Gators and raptors is pretty low. Hope some of them make it. They really are cute ducklings!
Great series of shots, Harry! Those guys are so brightly colored, they really stand out. You'd think that tney would have evolved a little more camouflage for protection against the predators.
Thanks Gordon. Anytime you are coming down here let me know and I will be more than happy to show you around.
Thanks Frank. As much as I enjoy shooting these guys I always have a bit of hesitation about counting the ducklings because the number seems to decrease almost daily.
They sure are cute little buggers, aren't they? Thanks for sharing these great shots and keeping us posted on their survival. We want them all to survive so we have more photo ops next season.
Thaks Sommer. They are a sight. When I saw them for the first time last year I was amazed by their bumble bee coloring. Disney would have killed off the parents in the first 1/2 hour and then have them be raised by a nice egret. I haven't found a nice egret yet myself. I will be following their progress.
Colorful little guys Harry. There must be some reason for the color scheme, perhaps they resemble something predators don't like. Cute images.
Harry : Great shots of the "cycle of life". I recall watching a snapping turtle eat four or five ducklings in a flock following mom in a neat line. The snapper was crafty - it picked them off from the back of the line one after another. Only when one ducking was able to get off a bleeting call did the rest panic and swarm up close to mom. Evolution in action, I guess. The smarter ones survived (that week). John P.
Thanks Don. I think the reason they have so many ducklings is because they will lose most of them before they mature. 24 ducklings is really a lot. If they all matured they would be over populated before long. Nature isn't kind but it usually knows what it is doing.
Thaks Dennis. The come out in the open to eat. The rest of the time they are in the reeds and other growth. When they are off the open water they blend in better.
I'm sure that a few will survive. Last year we only had one pair of BBWDs, this year I have seen 4 pairs so it looks like they are becoming regulars.
Thanks Gordon. Once they get into the vegetation they blend in bette rthan their parents who have those red bills.
Hi Harry Nice stuff Harry They are really cute I remember the bunch from last year hope these make out better. How are you feeling buddy dont forget to let me know when you want to check out MIWR.
