Aix sponsa

It's a toss-up today between a lovely American Goldfinch male and this handsome pair of Wood Ducks. I can't say that the better coloring won out, because they both have that going for them. What makes the ducks seem more blip-worthy is the fact that these two were of eleven total Wood Ducks that I observed at the Arcata Marsh, which is far more than I've ever seen there before at one time. I've observed them at the marsh with ducklings before, but this was an unusually large group of mature adults.

Wood Ducks are distinct from other ducks in many ways. The male's plumage of course is arguably the most beautiful and varied of any North American duck species. Additionally, Wood Ducks are frequent cavity nesters, raising clutches high up in the holes of trees. When the ducklings are a few days old, they jump to the ground or water below, and begin life in typical duck fashion.

Because it is so handsome, the species was in serious danger of extinction around the turn of the 20th century--they were hunted without limit for trophies and for the ornate feather trade. To this day, though populations have recovered significantly under conservation legislation, Wood Ducks are the second-most frequently hunted duck behind the ubiquitous Mallard.

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Also amazing to see today was a group of perhaps 1,000 Red-Necked Phalaropes, a dainty shorebird that travels immense distances from South America to the Arctic each year to breed. They were frantically swimming around and feeding together in one of the larger ponds, replenishing their desperately depleted stores before continuing on to Alaska. They are in fact a terrifically rare sight at the Marsh, appearing for a few hours or days around this time of year. This was my first time observing them here in this way (I had only heard about it happening before) and to see them in such numbers was breathtaking. I feel really fortunate to have caught them; I'm rarely on the coast while living on the farm so I just happened to be at the right place at the right time. It was definitely the highlight of my bird-packed weekend, and given what I saw, that's saying a lot!