Wood Ducks

The Australian native White-eyed duck, also known as the Hardhead or Copperhead duck, is our least fancy but most entertaining duck. They are excellent divers and are constantly bringing up objects found on the bottom of the pond. We spend a lot of time watching them dive for food and guessing as to where they might emerge. They can stay under water for up to 1 minute and feed on small aquatic creatures and greens. White-eyes are small brown ducks with the male having a white belly and under tail, white eye, and black bill. The female is a paler brown color with a black eye and grayish bill. The female builds her nest on the ground close to the water and lays an average of 9 off-white colored eggs.

Northern Pintails

The pintail gets its name from its pointed tail feathers. The male has a brown head and a white neck, chest and belly. It has gray sides and a greenish patch with a tan and a white border on its wings. The female has a tan head and neck and mottled tan and brown feathers on her back and body. She has a brown patch with a white line on the edge of her wings. The Northern Pintails dabbles in the water for food and feeds on grain, seeds, weeds, aquatic insects, crustaceans, and snails. It usually feeds during the evening close to nightfall. The female’s nest is on the ground and is usually away from water, in brush or grass, and lined with grass and down. The average clutch size is from 3-12 eggs, which are greenish-buff in color, and is laid in the early spring. The eggs take about three weeks to hatch. The female incubates the eggs and sometimes the male is seen caring for the ducklings, but more often the female raises the ducklings alone. When the ducklings are a little more than a month old, they leave their parents and set out on their own.

Ringed Teal

   

Mandarins
We currently have 3 pairs of breeding Mandarin ducks. The first pair is traditional in color, the second pair is a white hen with a split to white drake, and the third pair is a white hen and white drake.