Wood Duck
Beaver
One thing I know for sure, stories of animal interaction and behavior are beloved in America. Especially when it involves birds and animals of complete diversity. This last week I witnessed just this phenomena between a beaver and wood duck.
My friend and fellow photographer Paul, journeyed to a beaver pond to observe six beavers working on their winter headquarters. We previously watched them construct and patch their home and went back to check on their progress. Ice had begun to form around their house and in many areas of the pond. They were all busily involved in adding alder to their food pile for the winter months... and having lunch.
As we quietly photographed and watched the beavers work, the scene was interrupted by a colorful figure. A beautiful, lone male wood duck appeared, paddling around sheets of ice.
Amazingly, his feathers were as beautiful as spring breeding plumage. Not only were we surprised by the beauty of the woody, but by his late appearance in the month of November.
The pond was about sixty percent ice covered and the wood duck either paddled or walked on the ice foraging for food. His food search was quite unique. He not only picked up floating particles, but but broke off ice chunks to free trapped morsels of vegetation.
The duck and the beaver seemed to mind their own business as they maneuvered around the ice sheets and open water. One of the adult beavers was comical to watch, because he moved effortlessly through the frigid water with a small ice sheet frozen to his head.
An unexpected behavioral moment took place and I almost missed it. The wood duck was drifting along with one of the adult beavers.
Mr. duck and the beaver floated over to the reed shoreline and the duck cozied up to the beaver as she ate her shoreline lunch.
It is not like I see and photograph a beaver family every day... but I marveled first of all, seeing a wood duck this late in the fall, then watching him of all things, bond with a beaver. Secondly, the beaver seemed not to mind the intrusion of the bird. Truly a strange partnership in my hundreds of bird and animal observations through the years.
The interaction did not last long, as the duck paddled away to find more food. It was however, an entertaining moment for the photographers watching this "odd couple"... and certainly a moment we were fortunate to capture.
We are hoping Mr. Wood Duck is now winging his way to a warm water pond in the south, while his beaver friends are snug in their far north house.
Mike Todd
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