Whistlers

A pair of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks high up in an Oak tree. Audubon calls them, "A spectacularly marked, sociable, noisy waterfowl". They're thought to mate for life, often nesting in colonies. Our local 'colony' consists of 8-12 ducks. They usually construct their nests in tree cavities 4-20 feet above the ground or on land close to water. Their diet consists mostly of seeds and grains. BBWDs call (whistle) as they fly and we often hear them, flying overhead just after sundown, as they head back to their roost.