On Sunday evening there were two pairs of wood ducks flying around through the trees looking for possible cavities for nesting. I could hear the flapping of their wings and calls as I approached. I stood back a little ways and watched them. They were flying up to holes in the trees and looking in to investigate. The ducks were notably adept at maneuvering among the branches and landing at the entrances of the cavities.
They usually chose natural cavities where a tree limb has broken off and a small hollow space has been created where the tree’s heartwood has rotted out. They will also use woodpecker cavities. I saw them investigating both types.
All seemed to be going well until one of the ravens nesting nearby suddenly swooped in, apparently trying to capture one of the wood ducks. The wood ducks successfully avoided the raven and to my surprise, stayed in the area.
Coincidentally, as the raven was watching the wood ducks, a hawk was watching the raven. The hawk flew in and narrowly missed taking out the raven. This sent the raven and its mate into frenzy of trying to chase off the hawk. For now, the ravens decided to leave the wood ducks alone and did not return to the scene. I decided to move on too. I wished the wood ducks a peaceful evening and good luck on their journey of a successful nesting season.
Here’s a link to Audubon to hear the wood duck’s calls:
https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/wood-duck
